


The Thousand Power

by bigwolfpup



Series: Thousand Power Universe [1]
Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Anal Sex, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Memory Alteration, Original Character(s), Serious Injuries, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-15 00:01:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4585230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigwolfpup/pseuds/bigwolfpup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kotetsu and Barnaby are back together in a wild adventure that tests their relationship and their feelings towards each other, while facing a crazy next with seemingly impossible powers and the ever dwindling hundred power of Wild Tiger.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tiger in the Second League

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! My Tiger and Bunny fanfic that I worked on for about a month if I'm not mistaking. Chapter 1 is titled Tiger in the Second League. Enjoy!

The Thousand Power: A Tiger and Bunny Fanfiction.

Chapter 1: Tiger in the Second League

 

 

"Stop right there, you vile criminal!"

  
A wild looking man with cropped green hair looked back at the second league hero who was chasing after him, quite awkwardly to say the least. The man scoffed and looked back forward, and, to his surprise, was met by Ms. Violet, another second league hero, causing him to stumble for a few feet. He turned on his heel and ran back towards the original hero chasing him.

  
"W-what? Oh you want a piece of this," the first hero inquired confidently. "Well come and get some! It's getting wild here, which means it's time for a Wild Roar!"

  
The hero activated his power and ran full speed at the criminal. However the hero did not see the low-hanging pole that was right in his path of running.

  
Ms. Violet made a quick move to kick the pole out of the way, but she was beaten by a much faster, first league hero. She pouted and complained as the scene continued to unfold.

  
The green haired criminal stopped at the blur of pink and white from the first league hero. His eyes widened and terror came over him as he watched the new addition to the squad attempting to arrest him. This distraction was enough time for the second league hero to body slam the criminal. The air was knocked out of him and he landed hard on the ground with the hero on top of him.

  
"That'll teach you to not steal from older people, criminal!"

  
"Wild Tiger has made the arrest today! This makes him the highest scoring second league hero ever," the announcer boasted loudly.

  
Spectators cheered and whistled for the hero as he hauled the criminal up onto his feet. Kotetsu's retirement had not lasted long, but he was glad that he decided to get back into the hero business.

  
"My power may last for only a minute, but there's nothing that I can't handle!"

  
Ms. Violet stood in the background as the first league hero came up to Kotetsu. He patted the shorter man's shoulder.

  
"Good work, Tiger."

  
Kotetsu handed the criminal over to the two police officers who came towards him. He turned to Barnaby and lifted his face mask with a smile.

  
"Thanks, Bunny. Man, I am racking up the points this season!"

  
Barnaby laughed and lifted his face mask. "You sure have, considering how old you are and how long your power lasts."

  
"Oh shut up. I've been doing very well for only having power for a minute."

  
"I never said you weren't doing good."

  
Kotetsu and Barnaby looked out over the crime scene, both with wide smiles. The past year had been a wild one, filled with retirements and renewed energies. The two had been through anything you could imagine together. They had grown incredibly close over that time, and, even though they were in different leagues now, they were still partners. The Apollon company had been bombarded with requests and pleas for the two to stay together, and so there they were one year later, standing together as partners across leagues. They started their partnership as the first hero tag team, and they continued as the first hero tag team with each member in different leagues.

  
With Kotetsu's power lasting only one minute, it was hard for Barnaby to work with him much. He had issues of his own to take care of in the first league. Dwelling on his partner's issues was something that he was recommended not to do. But how could he leave his partner alone after they had been through thick and thin? Barnaby had to push for his partnership with Kotetsu, along with their fans. It was tough, but he made it happen, and he was very grateful for his employer's mercy. He was also grateful for Hero TV's mercy and willingness to work with Kotetsu's stubbornness and refusal to listen to directions. That was just how his partner was, and he had no intentions of letting anyone change Kotetsu.

_One week later..._

  
Rain was pouring down hard. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. All heroes were fighting against the elements to track down a group of thieves who had stolen millions of dollars worth of jewelry. The first league heroes were hot in pursuit while the second leagues hung back, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

  
Both parties had been at this case for several hours. There was no sign of it letting up anytime soon either. So, reluctantly, the second league heroes waited patiently, watching and learning from the first leagues. However, not all were learning from watching.

  
Kotetsu watched in silence, fully armored in his hero suit, which was clad in new colors and sponsor logos. When he had retired for the short time, all his previous sponsors left their partnership with the Apollon company. So when he returned to action, Kotetsu was left sponsorless, thus, also suitless.

Contacting Saito, Kotetsu then had access to a new, upgraded suit, one that not only had the iconic green of his previous suit, but also Barnaby's suit color. Kotetsu's new suit looked exactly like the old one. The only difference was the extra red and pink paint and slightly different builds of the legs and shoulders.

  
Kotetsu fidgeted nervously as he continued to watch. He subconsciously rubbed at the smooth logo of his main sponsor on his chest plate. His new sponsor came from the same company as Blue Rose's sponsor. PepsiCo chose Kotetsu to advertise their company within the second league heroes, though there really was not much advertising in the second league. The Mountain Dew franchise was the sponsor for him, and he proudly showed off the logo of one of the newest addition to the franchise, Baja Blast.

  
"Look who's coming onto the scene now! It's Barnaby Brooks Junior roaring into action with his flashy suit, made by Apollon's head designer," the announcer boasted excitedly.

  
Barnaby's suit hard undergone some changes of its own after he returned from his alleged retirement. Much of the changes made went along the same lines as Kotetsu's, some minor changes to the legs and arms and a new paint job. Barnaby's suit now had the green of Kotetsu's suit along with his own red. He also gained new sponsors with his return to duty as a hero. He now sported the Coca Cola Company as his main sponsor, though Bandai did continue to sponsor his work when he returned. The support from Bandai just was not as strong as before.

  
Barnaby sped down the highway, swerving between vehicles as he caught up to the getaway vehicle of the thieves. When he was close enough, he launched his grappling hook towards the bulky van and slowed down, pulling the van with him. The thieves struggled to keep their van going at the same speed, but Barnaby's hook was too strong for them. The van swerved in every direction before tipping onto its side.

  
Kotetsu sucked in a breath, eyes wide as he watched Barnaby speed away from the death trap that the van was at that moment. He clutched the end of his chest plate hard and took deep breaths.

  
"Come on, Bunny..." he whispered. "Agnes, I can't wait any longer. I'm going in."

  
"Oh no you're not," Agnes screamed into Kotetsu's headset as he walked towards the door. "You're going to stay put until I say!"

  
"Sorry can't hear you," Kotetsu said coolly, walking out of the room and to the garage that contained his motorcycle. He hopped on and revved it to life, then he sped off to the scene of the event.

  
Barnaby stopped at a safe distance from the van and got off his motorcycle. He cautiously approached the van, stopping when the driver jumped out and aimed a gun at him. He held up his hands slowly, observing all the other heroes around him who were ready to attack at the signal.

  
"Quit looking around, hero! Or else, I'll shoot you!"

  
Barnaby smiled. "Oh you wouldn't really do that would you?"

  
"Just you watch me!"

  
The driver pulled the trigger, however the bullet never connected with Barnaby. There was a blur of green as the driver shouted at his attacker. He looked around furiously then landed his eyesight on the suit of Wild Tiger. He grimaced and furrowed his eyebrows.

  
"Why are you even here, you second league lowlife? Shouldn't you be back at base learning how to become a hero?"

  
"For your information," Kotetsu started bitterly. "I know very well how to be a hero. And another thing. You never. Ever. Ever. Shoot my partner."

  
Kotetsu rushed forward as the last of his power drained from him, and he seized the driver's neck, holding him off the ground by several inches. He held on tightly, no matter how much fight the driver put up.

  
"Finally, you don't call me a lowlife! Look at yourself, criminal!"

  
The driver struggled a bit more, then he looked around at his group who had surrounded Kotetsu. He relaxed a bit, but he grew tense again as Kotetsu kept his glare strong. All his posse members waited in silence, weapons ready and aimed at Kotetsu.

  
Nerves consumed Barnaby as the silence dragged on. His breathing quickened and his heart beat so fast in his chest he thought it might jump out. All his senses were at full attention as Kotetsu slowly put the driver back down on the ground. The feeling was similar to that which he felt when fighting H-01 a little over a year and a half previously. He did not enjoy the feeling. He had to admit, Kotetsu scared him when he acted like he was on top.

  
"What do you want, criminal? You're caught. You can't go anywhere, so why have your friends defend you?"

  
"Well I do believe it's fair for me to say that my partners stick by my side all the time." With that snide comment the driver smirked and laughed.

  
Barnaby stepped forward when Kotetsu threw the driver to the ground, his hand stretched out towards the older man. Blood pumped through his veins rapidly, making his hand shake violently and uncontrollably.

  
"My partner stays by me always," Kotetsu screamed. He was too enraged to notice the group of criminals around him move closer and aim point blank at him.

  
"Prove it," said the driver.

  
With a shout, Barnaby rushed forward right as triggers were pulled. He activated his power and sped around the group as fast as he could, knocking weapons out of hands. His mind was a blur. All he could think about was if Kotetsu was still safe and unharmed. But his thought was answered with a pained scream from his partner. Words flew out of his mouth without him knowing as he quickly took out the rest of the group.

  
"You! Don't! Shoot! My! Partner! Ever! Ever! EVER!"

  
When the area was clear of weapons and criminals, Sky High swooped in and took the driver away, taking the arrest points for that round. The rest of the heroes waited in silence, watching for any signs of movement from Kotetsu, who lay in the middle of the road, gasping for proper breaths of air.

Barnaby stood there staring at the wreckage of the scene, shoulders heaving up and down as he caught his breath. His eyes continued to glow bright blue for a few more seconds before returning to their natural green color. Looking back at Kotetsu rose his heart rate even more.

  
Kotetsu's hands felt around the broken asphalt of the road, searching for anything to grab ahold of to reassure his safety. They stopped their searching as one was grabbed by Barnaby's hands. He relaxed and sighed heavily, which led him into a coughing fit. When he was able to breath properly again, Kotetsu looked up at Barnaby with a dumb smile.

  
"I think... I got sh-shot, Bunny..."

  
Barnaby had taken his helmet off before he grabbed Kotetsu's hand, and his blonde hair fluttered around in the light breeze. "Of course you did, you idiot. Those guns had bullets strong enough to shatter your suit..."

  
"Well... I can tell you... One thing...." Kotetsu sat up slowly and painfully, wincing the whole way up. He held his leg with one hand and his arm with the other. "I'm not going to die."

  
Barnaby sighed and sat back on his heels. "I should hope not. You don't go down that easily ever."

  
He pulled Kotetsu into a hug, which was completely unexpected by Kotetsu, and not to mention painful as well. He sat there awkwardly for a few seconds, then he hugged back, letting himself be picked up by his partner and carried to his motorcycle, where he was sat down to be looked at.

  
An ambulance was called on to the scene to take care of the injured criminals and the victims. Once all the civilians were taken care of, a medical assistant came over to Barnaby and Kotetsu. Barnaby had suffered minor injuries, however they were no where near as severe as Kotetsu's. His suit was removed from his body and was taken by Saito to be analyzed for future references. He was left sitting there with only his mask and under suit on, at least three bullets embedded into his right arm and leg. Each wound was inspected and cleaned carefully so as to not hurt Kotetsu any more that what he already was.

 

-x-

  
Soon after the scene was cleaned up, Kotetsu was taken to the hospital to have the bullets surgically removed. Barnaby tagged along for a bit, picking at the shards of his damaged suit during the whole ambulance ride. Very little chatting was made until the two partners were alone in an ICU suite room after the surgery.

  
Barnaby sat in a padded, wooden chair by Kotetsu's bed. He watched his partner's chest heave up and down with each careful breath, wondering why Kotetsu continued to jump into the middle of the action just to save him. It was an unsafe thing to do, and quite stupid as well. Sure, they were partners. Yes, they were great friends. But, was that really why Wild Tiger defended him so much? Surely there had to be another reason other than those.

  
"Quit thinking too hard, Bunny."

  
Barnaby looked up at Kotetsu and shook his head, then he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry. I just don't get why you keep interfering my work as a first league hero when you're a second league hero."

  
"Do I really have to keep telling you? It's because we're partners! Partners always stick together, right?"

  
"I suppose you're right. But that can't be the only reason you do it."

  
"Well... We're friends too. Best friends at that."

  
Barnaby shook his head. "There's got to be another..."

  
Kotetsu sighed and rubbed his head. He clearly was exhausted and did not want to talk about the subject anymore than what he had to. To make the point even clearer, he yawned. His honey colored eyes looked deeply into Barnaby's green ones. It was a gesture that made Barnaby gasp slightly after a bit.

  
The moment did not last for long. A very upset Agnes came into the room, clearly wanting to say a few things about Kotetsu's stunts. However, she barely got a word out of her mouth before Barnaby stood and glared at her.

  
"Don't you know how to keep your nose out of things?"

  
"I know perfectly well how to, but I've got some things to say to your idiotic partner about his near death stunt he pulled today! Kotetsu, you have done your last move without any direction. If you do that ever again-"

  
"How are the ratings for the show," Kotetsu interrupted.

  
Agnes was taken aback. "Those don't matter! What matters is-"

  
"Wow. Never thought I'd hear that from you." He chuckled a bit then clutched his side gently. Barnaby covered his mouth as he laughed, receiving a hard glare from the Hero TV producer.

  
"You two are ridiculous to work with!" Agnes stormed out of the room, leaving the laughing partners to enjoy their victory over her.

  
Kotetsu played with the bandages on his arm for a bit, heavy eyelids threatening to close with even the smallest of yawns. His side hurt more than his arm or leg, even though he was not hit in the side. Maybe it was because of the shock the right side of his body experienced. Whatever the reason, the pain made Kotetsu exhausted.

  
Barnaby, still being in his hero suit, stepped towards the bed and grabbed Kotetsu's hand firmly. He squeezed it a little, and his eyes connected with the older man's once more. He felt like he could get lost in those warm, smooth, honey eyes. If only he could. If those eyes were all he would be able to see, well, that would be alright with him. And, somehow, he felt Kotetsu would be alright with that too.  
"I'm going to head over to your mom's place for a bit."

  
Kotetsu nodded. "Say hi to Kaede for me will you? Tell her I'll be home soon."

  
"I will. Let me know when you can get out of here." He patted the older man's hand gently then let go of his hand. When his hand left Kotetsu's, their fingers intertwined for a split second. It startled Barnaby, and he looked back at the now passed out Kotetsu. He smiled and left the hospital.

_Later that evening..._

  
The rain had reduced to a light drizzle by the time Barnaby arrived at the house that belonged to Kotetsu's mother. She and Kaede had moved into Stern Bild when Kotetsu began fighting crime again for better convenience to the 30-some-year-old man. It was also a better convenience for Barnaby. He hung out at the house during a good majority of his free time. He did not mind it though. He loved Kotetsu's family, especially Kaede. Kaede often returned the fondness, either with cute drawings or a multitude of hugs. Barnaby loved every bit of it to death, and he had seriously considered moving in with the family. However, he thought it would be too much of a hassle for Kotetsu's mother. So he discarded the idea multiple times.

  
Kaede met Barnaby at the front door with a hug. Barnaby hugged back tightly and laughed.

"Hello, Kaede! How are you today? School go alright?"

  
"I'm great, Barnaby! Yes, school was great! I got to talk about you and Daddy today to my whole class."

  
"That's great, Kaede! I'm sure your class loved it."

  
"They did! Speaking of Daddy, where is he?"

  
Anju, Kotetsu's mother and Kaede's grandmother, stepped up behind Kaede and put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

  
"Your father is in the hospital right now. He had some minor injuries acquired at work that had to be attended to."

  
Kaede spun around quickly to look at her grandmother. "What?! Is he okay? He won't die, will he? What sort of injuries did he get?"

  
Barnaby laughed. "Slow down, Kaede. Your dad is completely fine and in one piece. At the latest, he'll come home tomorrow morning. If everything goes well, I should be getting a call from him soon for me to bring him back."

  
Kaede took a deep breath. "That's good. He can be so dumb sometimes."

  
"Tell me about it," Barnaby said with a chuckle. He stepped inside and sat on the couch. "I hope you don't mind me staying the night, Anju."

  
"Oh not at all, Barnaby. Stay as long as you need."

  
With that Barnaby and Kaede watched movies until he received the phone call from Kotetsu. They watched movies about superheroes and cute boys, which happened to be Kaede's two favorite topics. She had even told Barnaby that he fit into both categories of superheroes and cute boys. Barnaby blushed at that comment.

-x-

  
It was pretty late when Kotetsu called Barnaby. Kaede was asleep in her room, passed out long before the call had came. Anju had also retired to her bedroom, leaving Barnaby alone to talk to Kotetsu.

The call came through Barnaby's call bracelet, which made him happy because he would be able to actually see Kotetsu as he talked to him.

  
"Hey, Kotetsu. Got any good news?"

  
Kotetsu chuckled roughly and coughed. "Well I wouldn't call it good news. The doctors turned me onto my stomach and changed my bed. Apparently the bullets were shot more towards my back, not my front. Also they think I might have a cracked hip."

  
Barnaby's smile continued to fade as Kotetsu continued on with his injuries. "So... When are you released to go home?"

  
"I would say tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. They need to do some x-rays on me first."

  
Barnaby shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "You know this could end your career as a hero."

  
"Whatever," Kotetsu said, rolling his eyes. "Even if my hip is cracked, it won't affect me in the slightest. I can just use my power to heal myself." He laughed quietly.

  
The blonde sat back, very annoyed at Kotetsu's behavior. But, there was no way he could stop his partner from acting that way. He just had to accept it for what it was and continue on his way.

  
"You are literally the most stubborn old man I know," Barnaby said with a smile.

  
"I'm the only stubborn old man you know." Laughter filled the room from both men. They sat there in silence for a while, just looking at each other. They adored each other's eyes way too much, and they always caught themselves staring too many times to count. But they did not mind it so much now. It was just a common thing that occurred without any second thought. Whenever it happened, Barnaby made sure to take his glasses off so Kotetsu had no problem with a glare.

  
Kotetsu covered half his face with his pillow, showing Barnaby only one of his honey eyes. Barnaby was distracted by the action enough that he asked the question he had had since leaving the hospital.

  
"So... I asked your mom if it was okay for me to spend the night here. She said that was fine and that I could stay as long as I liked. I've been debating this for a while now, but do you think it would be okay if I moved in?"

  
Kotetsu smiled. "I don't see why it wouldn't be alright. Kaede would love you forever if you do move in. My mom would be thrilled to cook some of the foods you like. And me.... Well I'd just be happy." He chuckled and uncovered his face.

  
Barnaby smiled and sighed in relief. "That's good to know. But seriously I've been debating that question for about a year."

  
"Geeze, Bunny. Why didn't you ask sooner?"

  
"I don't know. Maybe I was afraid to ask. I couldn't tell you for sure. But that doesn't matter right now. You need to get some rest before tomorrow."

  
Kotetsu's face rolled out of the screen, leaving Barnaby with the view of his chest rising and falling. "Why do you always have to be right? Shouldn't I be the one telling you that you need rest?"

  
"You're the one who got shot, not me."

  
"Ugh. Fine I'll go to sleep. But you need to start treating me more like your partner."

  
Barnaby rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Sweet dreams, old man."

  
"Always," Kotetsu said with a grin, even though Barnaby could not see it.

_Two days later..._

  
"Wild Tiger and Barnaby Brooks Junior are at it again, everybody! They have a robber trapped in an alley after chasing him for several miles. And what a show they have put on for the viewers today! They have gone all out, and they show no signs of stopping!"

  
True to what the announcer said, Barnaby and Kotetsu were putting their all into catching this robber, especially since this was the green- haired freak that Kotetsu had arrested the week previous. In all honesty, Kotetsu was pretty ticked that the robber managed to escape from prison.

  
"You're really messing with my nerves, you know," Kotetsu said bitterly.

  
"You'll never keep me in prison. I've got tricks up my sleeves the you would never think of, you know, since you're just an old man trying to look cool."

  
The snide comment made by the criminal rubbed Kotetsu's fur the wrong way, and he lunged forward, grabbing the shirt collar of the man. It took a lot of will power from Kotetsu to prevent from smashing the criminal's face into a wall. He was about to make a comment back when a sharp pain ran through his spine and down his arm and leg. His grip on the criminal became non existent, and he held his arm with a grimace.

  
Turning to run, Barnaby left his partner and chased the now escaping criminal. He ran as fast as he could, but it seemed the criminal was pulling away from him. Just when the blonde was about to give up, the criminal turned and looked at him with a smirk, shirt slightly stretched. Barnaby's eyes widened and he tripped over his feet, allowing the criminal to escape. A visible blue glow was radiating from the green-haired criminal. It enraged Barnaby that he let the man get away. He pounded his fists on the concrete of the sidewalk with a shout.

  
The other heroes attempted to capture the criminal, but he slipped past each one quickly, leaving without a trace. Of course this was upsetting to everyone, but no one was as upset as Barnaby. He stood up and groaned in frustration. How did he not notice it before? How did he not notice the tattoo on the man's chest? Why was that man associated with Ouroboros?

  
Kotetsu came up behind Barnaby and put a hand on his shoulder. "Did you see the tattoo?"

Barnaby only nodded angrily and clenched his fists.

  
"Don't worry, we'll catch him. We need to find out who exactly he is before we do anything else though."

  
Barnaby, now enraged beyond control, tore his helmet off and threw it towards the ground hard. He spun around and faced Kotetsu, eyes glowing blue from activating his power to express his anger more.

  
"How can you say that?! A man associated with my parents' murder is on the loose and you want me to just sit to the side for now?! I'm not going to do that!"

  
"Yes you are, Bunny. You're going to wait until we find out who he is and what his relation to Ouroboros is." He lifted his face mask to look into Barnaby's eyes. "That's all we can do for now."

  
"No! We need to do something! We need to hunt him down now. I can't sit here like a lame duck while he's out there."

  
"Look, I know you're angry, but we need you to calm down above anything else. Being this angry will not help the situation."

  
Barnaby stood there silent, breathing heavily and looking into Kotetsu's eyes. Slowly, he relaxed, and tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He was so confused by Ouroboros that it physically made him sick. He turned quite pale and let his tears fall to the ground.

  
"Why does this hurt so much? I just want it to end..."

  
Kotetsu smiled and cupped Barnaby's face. "Hey, cheer up, Bunny! We'll work through this, but for now, let's go get a drink. Sound good?"

  
The blonde nodded and picked up his helmet. They got a ride back to base from Saito, where they stripped of their suits and changed back into their normal clothes. From there, Kotetsu drove the two of them to his favorite bar. They shared a few shots together, and they talked about anything and everything. Everything except Ouroboros. Kotetsu made sure that topic was avoided.

  
Barnaby told Kotetsu about Kaede categorizing him as both a superhero and a cute boy. Kotetsu laughed at that. Then, suddenly, he changed the subject to a more serious matter.

  
"I had a sharp pain attack me today, Bunny."

  
Barnaby looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Was it very bad?"

  
"Well... It was kind of the reason why I let go of the criminal. But that's not really the point. The point is, I hope it didn't interfere with my power."

  
"Like it triggering another decline?"

  
"Yeah. My power has stayed stable at this one minute time limit, but I'm afraid it might change soon."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. Stress isn't good for you at your age."

  
"Would you shut up and take another shot? And besides, I'm in the second league. It won't matter much if I lose my power."

  
Barnaby laughed and took another shot. "You'll just look like a complete idiot out there then."

  
Kotetsu shook his head and sighed. "None of the second leagues would pay any attention to me. They don't now, so why would they then?"

  
"Why don't they pay attention to you now? They should be learning from you, not ignoring you."

  
"Yeah, they should be. But they don't. They say I'm a lost cause because I'm old and I suck at being a hero."

  
"You know that's not true, Kotetsu."

  
Kotetsu picked up his shot glass and swished the liquids around. He did not look so confident in himself, and neither did he feel confident. He sighed heavily and drank what was in the glass.

  
"Bunny, I feel like all I ever do is weigh you down. I'm preventing you from gaining points, and I know that's not that important to you now, but it's giving you a bad reputation. I don't want to drag you down to my level."

  
"What you're doing, Kotetsu, is fine. I'm not being dragged down, and you have no need to be talking like that. It's just a little harder for you because your power last only a minute now. Don't go around feeling like you're no use to me. You're my partner and my best friend. You matter a lot to me. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here today as a hero. I would have quit a long time ago."

  
Kotetsu stood and put some cash on the counter. He looked at Barnaby with the most serious face he ever made.

  
"Well in that case, I quit being a second league hero."

  
"What?!" Barnaby stood too with wide eyes. "You can't just quit! At least hold on until your power runs out."

  
Kotetsu chuckled. "I'm not quitting being a hero, Bunny. You jump to conclusions too fast. If we're going to work together, I'm not doing it across leagues anymore. We got to be on the same level."

  
He walked to the exit, hands staying out of his pockets. He walked confidently and without fear. Though he could be ridiculous sometimes, Kotetsu never ceased to make Barnaby feel like he was worth something. Kotetsu was indeed worth something, something that Barnaby needed to keep going.

  
Barnaby knew Kotetsu was going to march in to Agnes and tell her he was switching to the first league. He knew Kotetsu would be yelled at and rejected, but he also knew that the older man would try his hardest to make sure he worked with his partner once more on the same level. Kotetsu was hard to knock down when he was determined. His ridiculous actions always got him into trouble, but when he was determined and focused, any soul would go up in flames if that was what it meant for Kotetsu to get his way.

  
That was it! Barnaby's eyes widened, and he chuckled when he realized what that other thing was that made Kotetsu interfere all the time. It was his determination to always stay by Barnaby's side. Kotetsu had lost the one person he truly loved, besides his mother and Kaede, and he was determined to never let his partner go. He was scared to lose Barnaby.

  
The young blonde sighed with a smile and walked out of the bar alone with nothing but happy thoughts. Working with Kotetsu in the first league again was going to be wild...


	2. Pulling an All-Nighter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! Enjoy! And if you get the movie that is referenced to at the end of this chapter, kudos to you. ;)

Chapter 2: Pulling an All-Nighter

Agnes had opposed to this. Boy did she oppose! But she knew ratings would raise higher than ever with Wild Tiger's triumphant return to the first league. So, even though she did not like the decision one bit, she and Apollon Media worked to get Kotetsu back into the first league.

  
All the heroes were excited to have Kotetsu back with them. Kotetsu was excited as well to be back in his original position. It made him feel a lot more important than he did with the second league heroes, not that the second leagues were bad in any way. They just were not home for Kotetsu, though he may have given them some pointers and hints. Nevertheless, the majority of Hero TV was glad that Kotetsu was back on top, both in leagues and in points. Soon after he started working with Barnaby in the first league again, his points added up very quickly, along with his partner's.

  
In the few months that followed, Barnaby had finally moved in with the Kaburagi family, and the one who showed the most enthusiasm was undoubtedly Kaede. She even offered her room to Barnaby, sharing it with her of course. He kindly declined her offer, saying he'd be much more comfortable sleeping on the couch for the time being. To be honest, Kotetsu found it better for Barnaby to sleep on the couch rather than in the same room as his daughter.

  
The couch was the best option for Barnaby at the moment, for all the heroes were caught up in a hurricane that was speeding towards Sternbild. Storms were not things that heroes usually dealt with, but when the people of the lowest level of the city became endangered, it was time for them to step in and help.

  
The hurricane hit the city hard, damaging most of the buildings and leaving several civilians on the bottom level homeless. To make matters worse, rainstorm after rainstorm came and made the recovery process much harder.

  
Most of the heroes went through a cycle of work. The second league heroes were included in the process alongside the first leagues. This gave them plenty of experience, but most of the work was performed by the first leagues. Their rotation of work was a good idea while the rain stayed away. But, when the rainstorms came after the hurricane, it became increasingly difficult to let some of the heroes rest. In the end, the second league heroes were sent home.

  
Barnaby and Kotetsu spent a lot of time not working together. They were split up to even out the workload between them. However, they noticeably were not working to the best of their abilities. They had almost forgotten what it was like to work alone, yet they continued to pull their weight, with their partner or not. When the two had the rare opportunity to take a break together, they usually went out to grab a bite to eat, staying alert in case they were called out to work again. Usually, they were never disturbed, but it was never a bad idea to be prepared for anything.

  
For the current break they were on, they headed back to home to escape from the bustle of the center of the city. Kaede was away at school for a temporary amount of time. She had been told to bring things needed to spend a few days at the school because of flooding issues. The heroes had been hard at work to fix the problem, yet they were continually caught up with issues on the bottom level of the city.

  
After Barnaby and Kotetsu rested a bit at their home, they went to the school to check up on Kaede. When they arrived,Barnaby was instantly swarmed by young fans who wanted autographs and photos. Kotetsu managed to slip away from the mob, as he was in his normal clothes without his mask, and he went looking for Kaede. He managed to spot her at the same time she spotted him. The two ran at each other, and Kotetsu scooped Kaede into a big hug. They laughed as they hugged, then they let go after a while. Kotetsu looked at Kaede with a big smile.

  
"Hey kiddo! How's it going?"

  
"Great, Daddy! This is super fun! But I would like to go home soon."

  
"I know you want to. But you've got to stay here just a bit longer. Flood waters are still incredibly high, and it's too dangerous to take you home right now."

  
Kaede chewed her top lip some. "Can't the heroes work on that right now?"

  
"Well, they have been," Kotetsu said as Barnaby came over. He stood behind Kotetsu and put a hand on the older man's shoulder.

  
"We've been working extremely hard, but the citizens of the bottom level have been having the worst time," Barnaby commented. "It's hard to split us up when it's pouring like it is now."

  
Kaede's eyes lit up suddenly and she smiled wide. "Do you want to go play in the rain? We've been doing it all week!"

  
Kotetsu smiled and looked back at Barnaby. "Well we have a little bit of time left. I suppose it's not that bad of an idea."

  
Barnaby smiled and took off his glasses, then put them in his jacket pocket, as he was in his normal clothes as well. "Let's do it."

  
Kaede smiled even wider and ran to the door that led to the play ground. She took off her bubble vest and set it by the door before going outside with a shout. Barnaby laid his jacket next to the vest and waited for Kotetsu.

  
The older man whispered something to Barnaby, his hand brushing against the blonde's lightly. He smiled and took off his vest and green shirt, leaving him in a white tank top as he ran outside.

  
Barnaby chased after Kotetsu and shouted when the cold rain hit his body. Kaede screamed and ran away from both heroes, laughing and smiling. All three enjoyed the rain that attacked them like a swarm of wet bees. It was a good exercise for them, especially Kotetsu. A few times he had to bend over and catch his breath, as he was not in proper shape like he used to be when he began working with Barnaby.

  
The blonde stopped beside Kotetsu with a laugh. "Getting tired, old man?"

  
Kotetsu glared at Barnaby. "Just...catching...my breath."

  
"Oh? You out of shape?"

  
"What...makes you say...that?"

  
Kaede came over with the biggest smile on her face, water running off the ends of her hair.

  
"Well I guess I'm referring to your stomach that's sticking out slightly," Barnaby said with a laugh.

  
Kotetsu stood up quickly and looked down at his stomach, then back up at Barnaby with a pout. "It's not that bad!"

  
"You must have gained 20 pounds at least," the blonde mocked with a thoughtful face.

  
With that, Kotetsu began chasing Barnaby again, although, with Barnaby's movements, it looked more like they were dancing. Kaede laughed and ran over to her father and poked him in the stomach, then she ran off. Kotetsu made a disapproving grunt and glared at her.

  
Barnaby took the opportunity to attack Kotetsu, and he poked his partner as well. He ran towards Kaede and hid with her behind one of the very wet slides.

  
Kotetsu growled and looked towards the direction his daughter ran. He pouted some more and turned to go back inside after looking at his phone to see what time it was.

  
Kaede and Barnaby groaned in disappointment as they watched the brunette walk inside. Together, the two walked back to the door with only smiles. When they got inside, they picked up their clothing. Kaede headed to her designated sleeping area to get some dry clothes to change into. Kotetsu and Barnaby stood dripping by the door, waiting for the girl to get back. They said their goodbyes soon after, and the two heroes left to go back to the house, finding dry clothes and resting some more before being called back to duty.

A few days later...

  
"Bunny! I need help now! I'm running out of time!"

  
Kotetsu was supporting a metal beam that was about to crush a civilian all by himself, and his strength was quickly running out on him. Sky High was attempting to pull out the citizen, but Kotetsu's strength was not enough. The two heroes exchanged worried glances as the blonde hero continued to pull at the citizen.

  
Right as Kotetsu was a out to lose his power, Barnaby came running to the scene and put his weight against the beam as hard as he could. Kotetsu grunted and gave one last push as his time ran out.  
Keith pulled the civilian out finally and flew to safety, looking back to watch Barnaby and Kotetsu. The hero team struggled to push the beam out of the way as a strong head wind blew at them. The wind was strong enough that Keith had a hard time flying straight. The howling of the wind made it impossible to communicate properly, so when the wind blew Kotetsu's end of the beam, Kotetsu had no way of warning Barnaby that he was falling off the ledge on which he stood. It was frightening to Kotetsu, knowing that the water below would crush his suit instantly on impact.

  
He shouted. He screamed. He cried. He wailed. He did everything he could to save himself, but the drop that he was taking was sure to kill him.

  
Keith saw Kotetsu falling and dove after him. He pushed against the wind with as much force as he could, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Barnaby soar past him. The blonde was in a form that sliced through the air faster than Keith had ever gone.

  
Barnaby was purely scared. That was all he was as he dove for his partner, screaming Kotetsu's name as loudly as he could. He reached the halfway point in the fall. Already, water was hitting his mask as he yelled to Keith.

  
"Give me a push, Sky High! Please give me a push!"

  
With that, Keith soared faster and switched himself around so that his feet were now where his head was. He touched his feet to Barnaby's and launched off as hard as he could.

  
Barnaby was sent cutting through the air twice as fast, calling Kotetsu's name even louder. He reached a hand out towards the brunette desperately, hoping that somehow he could reach it. The waves licked at Kotetsu's body as he fell closer to his doom. Barnaby knew he would not be able to watch if he did not make it in time to his partner. He activated his power with an angered shout, rocketing himself forward more.

  
Kotetsu watched and reached his arm out. He called Barnaby's name, not his nickname, as loud as he physically could. If he was going to die like this, he wanted to be holding Barnaby's hand when it happened. The wind made a strong gust and blew his face mask up roughly. The sudden exposure to the wind and rain shocked Kotetsu, and he retracted his arm slightly. He looked down as best as he could to see how close the water was. It still looked pretty far, that is until he looked to the side and saw the wall of water heading right for him. He looked back up at Barnaby and extended his arm fully with a panicked expression.

  
Barnaby's eyes widened and he reached further. Though he could not hear his partner, he could clearly see his partner mouth "Barnaby!"

  
Their fingertips touched for a brief moment before the wave slammed into Kotetsu. Barnaby tumbled down the opposite side of the wave and crashed into the water hard.

  
Keith pulled himself up in time to miss the wave, and he watched in horror as the two partners were separated by the monstrous wave. He hovered there for a minute, watching, waiting for them to pop out of the water.

  
Barnaby popped out of the water first with a gasp, his suit crushed around him and his face mask gone. He screamed for Kotetsu over the roar of the waves. He screamed until the salt of the water dried out his throat and cracked his voice. He screamed desperately until he had no voice left. Then, he just cried silently, helplessly, wishing for a miracle.

  
Keith spotted Kotetsu's body a few hundred feet away, floating on the water seemingly unharmed. When Keith arrived at the body, he gasped, surprised to see Kotetsu glowing blue. Keith shouted at Barnaby.

  
"Barnaby! Barnaby! He's alive! Kotetsu's alive!"

  
Barnaby's eyes widened and he swam as fast as he could, using the remaining power to propel himself. He pointed towards the city as he swam, motioning for Keith to take him to safety.

  
Keith understood and picked Kotetsu out of the water, then flew him to the lower level where he would be safe for the moment. Then, Keith flew back and grabbed Barnaby. He set the younger blonde a few feet away from Kotetsu.

  
Barnaby shed his broken suit and crawled over to his partner. Tears fell in a continuous stream as Barnaby noticed the blue glow. He shook Kotetsu to wake him from unconsciousness. His voice cracked in its whisper when he spoke Kotetsu's name gently. He grabbed one of his partner's unharmed hands and looked over the undamaged suit in amazement. The blue glow faded slowly from Kotetsu, and Barnaby jumped when his hand was squeezed by his partner's.

  
Kotetsu squirmed slightly, wanting to remove himself from his suit. He struggled to pull away the different parts, as he was very weak. Barnaby stepped in and tore away the suit from Kotetsu's body quite violently, tears still falling to the concrete. Once everything was off, and Kotetsu was left in his under suit, the blonde pulled his partner into a huge hug, crying silently still. Together they sat there hugging, crying, and threatening to kill each other if they ever did a stunt like that again. Kotetsu did try to persuade Barnaby that it was the wind that knocked him over, but Barnaby did not care what actually happened. He was just glad kotetsu was still alive.That led Barnaby to ask his next question, very quiet and cracked of course.

  
"Did you know that you were glowing, Kotetsu?"

  
Kotetsu shook his head in confusion. "No. My power ran out before I fell."

  
"Well, you were glowing like you still had power. Are you sure you ran out?"

  
"Yes! I am positive I ran out! You can even check my power gauge."

  
Barnaby looked over at Keith, who checked the gauge then shook his head. Barnaby looked at Kotetsu again. "Then how did you survive? Your suit should have been completely destroyed..." His eyes grew wide as Kotetsu gasped.

  
"You don't think...," Kotetsu began. "My powers are coming back?"

Later that night...

  
"It's never happened before," Ben said at the bar. He was meeting up with Kotetsu and Barnaby to discuss the phenomenon. "I honestly don't know if this can happen. But something did happen to you. You did gain power for a split second to save yourself."

  
"I just don't know why it happened after my power had run out."

  
"I don't know why either, Kotetsu," Ben said with a sigh.

  
The three sat there in silence, Barnaby having being the quietest the whole time they had been at the bar. He looked into his empty shot glass with a blank expression, his blonde curls covering his eyes. His mind ran at a million miles an hour. He was thinking about that day's events. He thought about the green-haired criminal that got away. He was mainly thinking about Ouroboros. Right before they had left the scene of the almost tragic event, Barnaby had caught sight of the green-haired criminal that slipped away before. It was a chilling sight for the blonde, but at the time he thought very little of it. Now that Kotetsu was safe, the event disturbed him. What if the man was responsible for Kotetsu's fall?

  
No, it was the wind that blew him over...

  
Kotetsu nudged Barnaby gently with a worried expression. The younger man jolted slightly and looked Kotetsu in the eyes. They looked at each other for a while, unsure of their possible, life-threatening future. Since the two began working together again, more and more attacks were directed towards them by jealous, angry, or confused NEXT. Not all the attacks were deliberate, but many of them had a strong motive. That was what scared Kotetsu the most. Motive.

  
Barnaby sighed and stood up. He looked down at his partner for a brief moment, then walked out without paying a tip. He honestly did not care at the moment, and neither would he ever care, for he was soon distracted with a call to action once more. He waited for Kotetsu to come out, then he looked once more into his partner's warm, honey eyes. Barnaby was not really one for showing emotions when he was frustrated, other than anger of course. And he was not one for surprises either. That was why he slightly panicked when Kotetsu hugged him tightly so suddenly. It was not normal for Kotetsu to go around hugging him in public. Something was up, and Barnaby did not like it one bit.

  
He could feel Kotetsu shiver slightly, not of being cold, but of being afraid. For who Kotetsu was, he should not have been clinging to Barnaby like it was the last time he would see him. But then again,maybe it would be the last time. Both refused to believe that, no matter what was thrown at them. Both knew how painful it was to lose a loved one, and they had grown incredibly close in the course of just over a year. Neither wanted to lose their partner.

  
Kotetsu buried his face in Barnaby's jacket. He took in a deep breath, then pulled away slightly with a weak smile. Chuckling a bit, he spoke softly.

  
"We'd better get going. Don't want to keep Stern Bild's residents waiting..."

  
His voice trailed off slowly as he looked more towards the ground. He was about to begin talking again when he got a call from Agnes. Sighing, he looked at Barnaby and took the call. It looked like it was going to be a long night.

One week later...

  
Kotetsu was woken at 3 in the morning to another call. Flooding issues were still at hand for the heroes of Stern Bild, and there was no end in sight. With a grumble and a glass of alcohol, both he and Barnaby headed out for a long day of work. It was hard to leave that early in the morning for nearly two weeks straight. All this work with very little rest was taking a toll on Kotetsu, especially when it came to seeing his daughter. He hardly saw her any more with this flooding. It just did not seem fair that Kotetsu was taking more time to help his city rather than being with Kaede.

  
All week long, the two partners had been bombarded with tasks, interviews, and threats that really were not needed. They just wanted to get the flooding problem fixed so they could get a well earned rest. All the heroes wanted this. However, like Kotetsu had regrettingly said once, a hero's work is never done.

  
Heading to the lower part of the city gave Kotetsu some time to think. He had all sorts of things on his mind, like the Ouroboros man, the flooding, Kaede, his mom, Barnaby, and oddly enough, Tomoe. But somehow, Tomoe and Barnaby were intertwining in his memories. They would switch places often, but now was not the time for that to be happening. He shook his head slightly and sat back in his sidecar, glancing at Barnaby occasionally.

  
Once they arrived on the scene of the call, they were busy almost instantly. Reports of thieves on the loose kept them occupied until they were needed elsewhere. In reality, they were dead tired, and using their powers was exhausting them quite quickly.

  
Luckily, the partners were done quickly with the thieves, returning the stolen items to homeless families who were desperately trying to survive. It had to be a daunting task for those who were forced to live on the streets. Years of building up memories and dedication were suddenly wiped out. It pained Kotetsu to see so many people like this, so he tried his best to comfort those who were terrified. He mainly helped with the children, yet it only proved to him more that he was spending a great deal of time away from his own child. She must have been disappointed with him by his constant absence.

  
Kotetsu and Barnaby were almost constantly on call. Barnaby was on call for longer periods of time than Kotetsu, due to Kotetsu wearing out faster, not because of his age, but because of his recurring use of his power. By the end of the week, Kotetsu had worked for three days straight, with maybe a one hour nap here and there. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and he showed it too.

  
However, by the end of that same week, almost all damages had been repaired. Close to 80% of homeless families were now resituated in their new homes, complete with furniture and other supplies to last the families for almost a year. The heroes felt very pleased with their progress. There were only a few more families to situate, and everyone pitched in to help. Even some volunteers from the upper levels of the city came to help out, which made the going much easier for the heroes.

  
Kotetsu was glad he would be able to go home soon to relax and refresh himself for the next big event. But, even though he had been told to go home already, he wanted to help the remaining families as much as possible, even if he was forced to return home. There would be nothing stopping him from helping until the end of the rebuilding efforts. Nothing except Barnaby, that is.

  
It was a Saturday when Barnaby put his foot down. The sky was blue as could be during the day, and at night the city lights shone brightly like a million candles burning over the ocean. Kotetsu had now been away from his home for five days, no rest in between at all. His appearance and attitude was noticeably affected by the amount of work he did. He had worked until almost 95% of the families were situated in their homes again, and that was when Barnaby told him to go home.

  
Kotetsu had argued with Barnaby about going home, but the blonde knew that Kotetsu really did want to go back to rest. It had been one of those exhaustion arguments, that no matter what Kotetsu did, he would never win. In the end, Barnaby arranged for Keith to take Kotetsu home while he stayed behind to finish up that night. The end of the relocating was close enough that, if all the heroes pitched in, 100% of the families would be moved in by 1 O'Clock in the morning.

  
It was only 9 P.M., but it was dark, and Kotetsu had hit his wall long before. So, Keith grabbed the brunette and took him home safely. Both heroes were greeted at the door by Kotetsu's mother. She smiled and thanked Keith for bringing him home, then sent the blonde hero off with some cookies for those who were still working.

  
Kaede, when she heard her father's voice, came running down the stairs from her bedroom to the living room and wrapped her arms tight around Kotetsu. He laughed and hugged her back just as tight, happy to be back home with her.

  
"Daddy, can we watch a movie together," Kaede asked after they were done with their hug.

  
"It is way past your bedtime, young lady. And don't you have school tomorrow?"

  
"Daddy, please? I've already got the movie picked out!" Kaede looked at him with big eyes and a slight pout.

  
Kotetsu could not help but smile. He ruffled Kaede's hair slightly and walked over to the couch that was placed in front of the TV. "Alright, just one movie."

  
Kaede smiled wide and put the movie in quickly, jumping onto the couch beside Kotetsu with the remote in hand.

  
The tired hero watched the main character with some interest, noting that the character looked amazingly similar to his own self. Kotetsu wrapped an arm around Kaede and held her close as they watched the movie. They watched the character build a suit after being attacked somewhere in the middle east, where he gained a glowing circle on his chest to keep him alive. Kaede laughed at some parts, then she would look back at her father to see him passed out, head lulled back against the top of the couch cushion. She nudged him lightly, and he woke up and asked what he missed.

  
"Daddy, you missed almost 10 minutes."

  
"Oh, did I? Okay, I'll stay awake now. By the way, he kinda looks like me."

  
"But you're way cooler than him, Daddy"

  
Kotetsu smiled. "Thanks, Kiddo. That means a lot."

  
"You're only cooler because he's not real. If he was real, he'd be so much cooler than you."

  
"Oh, thanks" he said sarcastically.

  
"But Barnaby would still be cooler than him. Barnaby is really cute." Kaede giggled slightly and snuggled into her father more.

  
Soon, Kotetsu was out again, much to Kaede's disappointment. Her grandmother came down after a bit and told her it was time to head to bed. Kaede looked at her father for a bit, then hugged him lightly and placed a slight kiss on his cheek. He did not make any sort of movement as she walked away reluctantly. The movie played on, and when it was over, Anju turned everything off and draped a blanket over her son's sleeping body. She shut out the lights and headed upstairs to her bedroom to retire for the night, knowing Barnaby would be home soon to take care of Kotetsu more.


	3. Among the Covers Lie Our Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter can be skipped if you don't want to read it. All you need to know is that Kotetsu got a tattoo on his right hip of Barnaby's logo, and his power is acting up again. That's literally all that this chapter contributes to the plot.
> 
> For those who do read, enjoy! :3

Chapter 3: Among the Covers Lie Our Secrets (R-18!)

It was about 1:45 when Barnaby did finally get home. He was exhausted after dealing with several families with children who did not want to cooperate. Several times he thought it was a bad idea to send Kotetsu home at 9. But, his opinion changed when he walked in the front door quietly and saw his partner sprawled out over the couch fast asleep.

  
Barnaby smiled and went to look over Kotetsu a bit. He was happy to see that his partner was resting properly. However, his thoughts began to change, and he felt different as more time passed. By the time 2 O'Clock came around, Barnaby was feeling more turned on than just happy.

  
Kotetsu was quite attractive when he slept, which was opposite of what many people thought. His dark eyebrows set firmly above his eyes as he slept, giving off a somewhat cautious vibe to anyone who watched. One arm was draped over the cushion seat gracefully, as well as part of one leg. His back was not completely flat on the seats, giving him a ready stance if he was awoken suddenly.

  
Barnaby watched silently Kotetsu's chest rise and fall with his deep breathing. His muscles rippled under his slightly unbuttoned shirt as he breathed, causing Barnaby's breath to hitch in his throat. The blonde reached out a hand to feel Kotetsu's chest lightly, but he was stopped when Kotetsu stirred slightly, yawning and stretching some.

  
The blonde crouched and sat back on his heels as Kotetsu slowly opened his eyes. He looked directly at Barnaby and smiled, then whispered hoarsely.

  
"Hey, Bunny. How are you?"

  
Barnaby reached his hand forward and ran a hand through Kotetsu's hair. "Now that you're awake, I couldn't be better."

  
"Oh now there's no need to flatter yourself."

  
"It wasn't exactly flattery. But whatever you say I guess will be what goes tonight," Barnaby said with a slight smirk.

  
Kotetsu smiled and sat up, looking down at his partner cautiously. He was sure the two were thinking the same thing, but even if they were, they had to warm up to it first before anything else.

  
Barnaby took off his glasses, slowly and seductively, if there even was a seductive way to take glasses off. However it was possible, he pulled it off quite nicely, which made Kotetsu shiver slightly. This blonde sure did make Kotetsu's body do weird and wonderful things. The effects were delicious, and each one was savored and taken in slowly. These moments were best enjoyed that way. Then Barnaby shook his curly, blonde locks, and if that was not a complete turn on for Kotetsu, nothing was.

  
Slowly, Barnaby stood up and cupped Kotetsu's face with one hand. He licked his lips with such skillful seductiveness, it was all Kotetsu could do to keep from letting a small moan escape. The moan came out anyway, and it only encouraged Barnaby to lean down and look into his partner's eyes. His hand slid down Kotetsu's jaw and neck, resting just below his collarbone, Barnaby's hand cool on Kotetsu's now heated chest. The difference in temperatures made Kotetsu shiver again, his eyes closing slightly at the wonderful feeling.

  
Barnaby pushed against Kotetsu with gentle force, causing the brunette to hold his breath with a gasp. He rubbed against Kotetsu's chest and waist, which he knew Kotetsu absolutely loved. Kotetsu tried not to moan again, knowing that if he did he could risk getting himself and Barnaby caught, which would not be a good thing in any way. Still, it was hard to keep in noises that were created by pleasure alone. It was not very often that those noises could be released for the whole world to hear, but sometimes you just had to keep them in. Kotetsu had a hard time keeping his pleasure to himself, especially when Barnaby was involved in any sort of way.

  
Sitting there on the couch, rubbing against each other like a couple of animals, the two moaned and panted quietly, desperately wanting each other. However, Kotetsu remembered the last time they did this on the couch, and it did not end very well for either of them.

  
Barnaby panted into the crook of Kotetsu's neck, rubbing his waist more on his partner's. Soon he moved his mouth to the brunette's, hovering there with eyes closed. He made no other move towards Kotetsu, instead letting his partner do all the work. At this point, Barnaby was sitting on Kotetsu's lap. He was very anxious to move to second base with Kotetsu, but he stayed at his partner's pace. It was only right to do so, considering that Kotetsu had had the least amount of rest between the two.

  
Finally, Kotetsu connected his lips with Barnaby's. The kiss was sloppy and very heated. Soft touches were made as the kiss progressed. Both were breathless almost instantly, Barnaby tugging at Kotetsu's shirt a bit too hard. They paused to breathe before diving back into the kiss full force. Kotetsu wrapped his arms around Barnaby's neck to pull him closer. The response that Barnaby gave caused Kotetsu to throw back his head and cover up his moan. Barnaby had pressed his groin up against Kotetsu's quickly, making himself shiver at the feeling. Intimate touches were made more and more as Barnaby took over the kiss, thrusting his tongue into Kotetsu's mouth. The older man let another moan slip, and he looked upstairs quickly to make sure he was not heard. He did not have much time to look before Barnaby pulled him back and began kissing his neck.

  
Kotetsu covered his mouth as a multitude of moans and gasps came pouring out of his mouth. He was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of pleasure he was receiving from his partner. It was glorious, heavenly, and painful. He wanted to proceed right there, but he knew they had to move.

  
The brunette sat up properly and disconnected the kiss for a split second, looking into the green eyes of his partner. "W-we need t-to m-move...," Kotetsu gasped out, hoping that Barnaby had understood.

  
And the blonde did in fact understand. He almost tripped while getting up and picking up Kotetsu princess style. However, Kotetsu squirmed to get out of Barnaby's arms. He wanted to run upstairs, having Barnaby follow him with that coy smile he always wore.

  
When Kotetsu did manage to get back onto the ground, he glanced at Barnaby for the briefest moment before taking off to his bedroom with his way-too-handsome partner following close behind. Once they were inside the bedroom, Kotetsu was shoved against the door, which Barnaby had closed moments before. He grimaced as he hit the wood, suddenly enveloped in another messy kiss.

  
Barnaby ran his slim fingers over Kotetsu's exposed skin, causing shivers to seemingly come out of nowhere from the brunette. He should have been worried that they would get caught, but his mind was too hazy with pleasure and lust to think straight. The same went for Barnaby. His hands were shaky and frenzied. There was no way he would be able to get Kotetsu out of his clothes in this state. He supposed it was a good thing that the older man was more controlled, or at least he seemed more controlled. But in reality, Kotetsu was just as drunk on the feeling of pleasure as Barnaby was.

  
Barnaby had had enough of foreplay. He wanted to be inside Kotetsu as soon as possible. He was hurting from how much want he was feeling. He grabbed Kotetsu's arms and dragged him to the bed, tossing him onto his back and began to tear the clothes away. Kotetsu was left in his underwear and socks, looking up at Barnaby with a pleading expression that only raw pleasure could satisfy.

  
Kotetsu sat up and slid Barnaby's jacket off his shoulders slowly. Then he removed the black muscle shirt and grazed his fingers over the warm skin of his partner. This resulted with a shiver from Barnaby. Kotetsu let out a slight whimper and hooked a hand around his partner's neck, pulling him closer for a more controlled kiss. They kissed for what seemed like forever, tugging at each other's hair and touching hungrily at each other's skin. More clothing was wanting to fall off Barnaby's body as the kiss soon turned desperate.

  
Barnaby slowly removed his belt as he continued to kiss Kotetsu. He tossed the white, leather accessory carelessly to the side. His hunger for Kotetsu grew more and more, his whole body aching to take over his partner. Somehow, he felt Kotetsu was not ready yet, so he looked up at the older man's face.

  
Kotetsu was panting heavily. He wanted nothing but for Barnaby to trail butterfly kisses down his torso. He gave his partner a very pleading look and gripped the sheets tightly. He needed Barnaby now. He would not be able to control his actions for much longer. Soon he would be a hot mess of lust, and there would be no way he could hold in his moans. Things needed to get going fast, like Hundred Power fast. It came to Kotetsu's mind to use his power to heighten the experience. However, doing that might cause the whole neighborhood to wake up.

  
Barnaby did what Kotetsu wanted, planting light kisses all over his chest and stomach. The feeling of Barnaby's tongue running over his skin made Kotetsu moan, covering his mouth as he did so. Smiling, Barnaby drug his teeth over Kotetsu's now very sensitive skin. He ran his hands down the brunette's sides before grabbing his hips and heaving him further onto the bed. Soon he was crouched over his partner, panting and extremely hard and hot. He could already feel sweat forming on the bridge of his nose.

  
Long fingers hooked onto the elastic of Kotetsu's underwear. They tugged and teased the older man, too unstable to do much of anything else. It was probably better that way, with Barnaby's hands not being able to remove his own pants. It would have made Kotetsu wait longer than he could have handled. God only knows that would have been a catastrophe.

  
Kotetsu's underwear was removed almost violently as he let out a breathy moan, attempting to keep the volume to a minimum. He was not being very successful, however. The next thing he knew, Kotetsu was being turned onto his stomach. Good, now he would have a pillow to cover up his moaning. He knew Barnaby was not going to go easy that night, so he prepared for the worst, or the best, whichever way Kotetsu thought it was. He was too overcome with pleasure to think clearly.

  
Knowing that Barnaby wanted to get a move on, Kotetsu reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a bottle that had been sitting there since he had arrived back home. Obviously he knew that this was going to happen. He opened the bottle and handed it to Barnaby, who took it with one shaking hand and freed his cock from his underwear with the other.

  
Kotetsu was laying in his side now, giving Barnaby a view of his slightly round stomach. It bothered Kotetsu that he had gained some weight. He really needed to work it off, but of course there was nothing he could do about that now.

  
The older man watched Barnaby cover himself with the lube, shaking slightly and covering a spot just above his right hip bone. To his disappointment, Barnaby noticed him cover the spot. Kotetsu's hips twitched a bit when Barnaby removed his hand slowly. Underneath was a small black and pink tattoo that the younger man recognized instantly. Kotetsu shuddered as Barnaby cracked his coy smile.

  
"How long have you had that?"

  
Kotetsu looked away with a blush. "Since I started the second league..."

  
Barnaby ran a dry finger over the tattoo of his logo. "Well, you should lose some weight so it looks better on you."

  
Kotetsu blushed harder, then he gasped as he partner licked his thigh.

  
"Looks like we're going sideways tonight," Barnaby said nonchalantly, to which Kotetsu's breath caught in the back of his throat. Going sideways? At his age?! There was no way this would be any better than going forwards on the couch.

  
Kotetsu made no attempt to move. Instead, he waited for his partner to finish preparing himself. He swallowed and took deep breaths to calm himself. Really, he had a hard time breathing regularly, especially when Barnaby looked up at him. He blushed and looked away.

  
Barnaby traced a wet finger around Kotetsu's hole. He was eager to start, yet he was so intrigued by the tattoo that he just sat there for a while and looked over Kotetsu's body. He was snapped back into reality when Kotetsu grabbed his wrist with a pleading moan. Barnaby smiled and slid a finger into his partner. He watched Kotetsu, amused, as he squirmed at the feeling of the finger. This was what he loved to see after a very long period of work. He loved seeing his partner's naked body curving in every direction because of pleasure. Barnaby wanted to make Kotetsu feel good, and that was why he decided to remove his finger and squeeze his cock into Kotetsu's tight hole.

  
There was a moment where the only thing happening was panting coming from Kotetsu. Hot breath came close to his top leg, making him tense up. That was the worst thing he could have done. Or maybe it was the best. Kotetsu did not know which it was.

  
Barnaby hesitated before he made his move.

  
"I'm surprised you didn't want to use a condom," he whispered.

  
"Shut up already," Kotetsu hissed out.

  
Barnaby chuckled and lifted Kotetsu's leg, amused once more by the tattoo, and put his cock into position. He looked up and tilted his head slightly, almost like what a bunny would do.

  
"Can I put it in?"

  
"You don't have to ask, damn it," Kotetsu said as quietly as possible without sounding desperate.

  
Kotetsu immediately brought up his hand to his face and covered a moan, incredible amounts of pleasure flooding his body when Barnaby pushed into him slowly, inch by inch. His face glowed bright red and he was panting. Wincing as Barnaby pushed the last inch in, Kotetsu felt incredibly hot. He knew he would not last long, so he wanted Barnaby to move. But it seemed like hours before Barnaby did actually start moving.

  
Barnaby sat still, stroking Kotetsu's leg lightly. At this point neither of them were going to last long, so the blonde began to move. He gasped at the feeling of being sucked into Kotetsu. His partner was so tight and dry, and it felt amazing to Barnaby as he began hugging Kotetsu's leg.

  
Kotetsu grabbed the closest pillow and shoved it over his face. He let out a loud, muffled moan and looked at Barnaby with a weak glare. Removing the pillow, Kotetsu panted a few times before attempting to speak.

  
"We should h-haaa....sh-should have stayed on....ahhh!.....the couch..."

  
Barnaby looked at Kotetsu while changing his angle. "Why's that?"

  
Kotetsu was unable to answer. His eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed upwards. His mouth hung open, drool running out the sides. Silent moans came out with each thrust into his prostate. Kotetsu felt another loud moan coming, and he grabbed the pillow tightly. His stomach knotted, building up the pool of cold heat that threatened him like a predator. All it would take would be a few more fast, strong thrusts from Barnaby. Then, Kotetsu would be a complete mess.

  
True to what Kotetsu predicted, Barnaby attacked hard and fast. Kotetsu moaned and squirmed at the uncomfortable feeling he had, but he was close to his climax. He grabbed Barnaby's arms and moaned somewhat quietly. He really was regretting even coming home that night. At least he could have moaned as loud as he wanted if he went somewhere else. It was not any better that Kaede's bedroom was right next to his.

  
Kotetsu arched back suddenly and slammed the pillow to his face. He let out the loudest moan of the night with his release. His hips bucked over his orgasm, and he frowned. He would have to clean his sheets after this.

  
Barnaby smiled and pulled out, then stroked himself until he came. His cum spread over Kotetsu's body, but somehow that was not enough for the brunette. Barnaby gasped when Kotetsu sat up properly and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him into a sloppy kiss. When Kotetsu pulled back, his expression had changed completely, which slightly frightened Barnaby.

  
"More..." Kotetsu said roughly.

  
Barnaby looked at him in amazement. He soon got over his amazement and kissed Kotetsu again. It was rare that Kotetsu wanted to go two rounds in one night, so Barnaby took the invitation willingly. He smiled and pulled back laughing. This was turning out to be the best night ever.

  
Kotetsu straddled Barnaby's lap and hungrily kissed his partner. One round was not enough for him. He had to go once more, even if he did pay for it in the morning. It would be worth it, and so Kotetsu rubbed his rear against Barnaby's cock, which was slowly becoming erect once more. Kotetsu's member was already standing proud, eager and ready to go for another round. Kotetsu leaned forward and licked Barnaby's jaw, then whispered in his ear.

  
"I wanted to stay on the couch because Kaede's room is right next door. But I don't care anymore. I just want to ride you."

  
Barnaby smiled. "Well then turn around."

  
Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's hips and started to turn him around, but Kotetsu stopped him by grabbing his wrists.

  
"You're going to look me in the eyes while I ride you. I want to see that coy smile of yours turn into an amazing sex face."

  
Kotetsu smirked and cupped Barnaby's face. When he felt up to it, Kotetsu made an amazing power bottom. That was what scared Barnaby.

  
Barnaby continued to smile. "Great. I get to see your tattoo now while you're on your joy ride."

  
"It won't be a joy ride for you, Barnaby."

  
The blonde lost his smile when Kotetsu spoke his name. Things got real when Kotetsu did not call Barnaby by his nickname. Barnaby knew he was not kidding when he said it would not be a joy ride for himself. What was considered a joy ride for Kotetsu was often extremely painful for Barnaby. Again, Barnaby was reminded how much his partner liked to be a power bottom. So, he braced himself for all the biting and scratching that was about to come upon him.

  
Kotetsu tried to hold back his power from activating. He did not need it yet, but the goal was to get to use it eventually. First he needed to get Barnaby on his power, and if he could do that early, then it would be less painful for him. Barnaby just needed to learn that.

  
Barnaby had been stroking himself for a few minutes. He was almost ready to let Kotetsu start riding him, however he was not looking forward to it. He really was not into harm done during sex, but for Kotetsu he was forced to make an exception.

  
"Are you ready yet," Kotetsu asked impatiently.

  
Barnaby looked up into Kotetsu's honey-colored eyes. In them he saw lust and want, but he also saw care and affection. He swallowed and nodded slowly, waiting for the attack.  
Kotetsu guided himself on to Barnaby's cock and let himself down slowly. He watched his partners face with amusement as he pushed all the way down. Almost immediately, Kotetsu began clawing at Barnaby, dragging his nails over the blonde's shoulders and neck. Kotetsu smiled at his partner's pain. It was very entertaining to watch, especially when a weak spot was touched.

  
Grabbing Kotetsu's hips was the best option for Barnaby in order to ignore the pain. He pulled Kotetsu down every time, causing his cock to hit Kotetsu's prostate hard. It was difficult enough for Barnaby to control his moans, so when Kotetsu let out a sharp yelp, Barnaby could not help but exhale loudly and moan. It was enough to drive him crazy, and he no longer could control his power. His eyes changed to electric blue and his whole body glowed, illuminating the room with a soft blue light. Barnaby fell backwards and grabbed Kotetsu's hips tighter. He grimaced hard, moaning through his teeth.

  
Kotetsu slammed down on Barnaby over and over. His mind was hazy, the only thing he could focus on was the occasional flash of Barnaby's eyes. Drool ran out the side of Kotetsu's mouth and dribbled down his neck and chest. His partner watched the little drops all the way, reaching to wipe them away. Kotetsu seemed not to notice as he continued to impale himself on Barnaby.

  
With mouth agape, Kotetsu squeezed his eyes shut, feeling Barnaby move his hips against him. He moaned without a care now, loving how deep and full he felt. The hundred power was an amazing thing during sex. It made everything, quite literally, one hundred times harder, one hundred times more pleasurable, one hundred times better in every aspect. It was a thing that was harder to control the more aroused Kotetsu became. He wanted to save it for the very end, but of course once he did give in to his power it would be the end anyway. So, with a deep moan, Kotetsu gave in to his power, letting a whole new wave of pleasure rush over him.

  
Barnaby sat up and pushed Kotetsu on to his back. He could not stand just laying there anymore. Kotetsu was probably grateful for the change in position, because it probably gave his back a rest from all the riding. However, the older man made no grateful reaction. Barnaby could have cared less anyway. The blonde was now straddling his partner, thrusting intensely to hear Kotetsu's desperate moans. Those sweet moans (how sweet they were!) kept Barnaby on edge, his arousal all the way to the max with his power activated.

  
Kotetsu gasped and moaned in a steady stream. It was all in time with Barnaby's thrusts, which were quickly growing sloppy and oh man they felt good! Kotetsu's eyes glowed bright and strong, and he opened them to get a good look at his sex consumed partner. He smiled stupidly, letting more drool escape, when he saw Barnaby's face.  
His eyebrows were turned upwards, hair damp and limp from the profuse sweating, and his mouth was wide open, panting heavily. Eyes were wide open and glazed over with pleasure, which hindered the glow slightly. He simply was the hottest thing that Kotetsu ever did see in his life.

  
A peak in the powers of the two came, causing them to cry out at the extreme pleasure. Both were incredibly close to their climax, and they only seemed to be getting louder, which was incredibly dangerous. The peak in the power was slightly new to the partners, as it was a signal they had only 30 seconds left of power. They only felt the surge when they were getting hot and aroused off of each other, but it was still a great feeling. Kotetsu especially loved it.

  
Finally the climax came. Kotetsu spilled himself all over his and Barnaby's chest. It was a miraculous feeling to cum hard with Barnaby. They were lucky enough to cum at relatively the same time, which heightened the experience that much more.

  
Barnaby came inside Kotetsu with a moan that the brunette had never heard come out of his partner before. The force of the release exhausted Barnaby, and he collapsed on to Kotetsu after pulling out. They laid there, panting and moaning slightly, still high off of the amazing rush of energy at the end.

  
After about a minute, Barnaby looked up at Kotetsu. The brunette's face was still flushed, and strangely he was still glowing. Barnaby tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows.  
"You're... Still glowing?"

  
Kotetsu kept panting and blinked. Looking down at his body, he grimaced slightly.

  
"I... I g-guess so..."

  
"You c-can't be... Losing your p-power ag-gain can y-you?"

  
As best as he could, Kotetsu shrugged. After a few minutes the glow faded. Barnaby brought a hand to Kotetsu's tattoo and stroked it fondly. He hummed softly, then he yawned, then went back to humming. He looked in to Kotetsu's eyes with a slight smile. Kotetsu's face was scrunched into an expression of pain. He was already feeling the effects of two rounds in a row. Barnaby knew it was his own fault that they went two times, but Kotetsu had just been too pleading.

  
"I really like your tattoo, Kotetsu."

  
"I have a bunny. You should get a tiger." Kotetsu had his eyes open barely, clearly exhausted.

  
Barnaby chuckled quietly. "I might consider it."

  
The younger man forced himself off his partner's body and laid next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling the covers over them. Kotetsu loved it when he did that, and he sighed and closed his eyes completely. He snuggled close to Barnaby and fell asleep soon after. Barnaby smiled and closed his eyes, and soon sleep took over his body as well.


	4. Unmasked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we get into the deep plot of the story! If you did not read chapter 3, or you were not able to, all you missed was that Kotetsu got a tattoo of Barnaby's logo, and his powers acted up again.
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Unmasked

Living on the edge was something that heroes did daily. However, this was not Kotetsu's idea of living on the edge, or more like off the edge. He hung by one of the shoulder plates of his suit off the side of a building, not completely sure how he got there in the first place.

  
Kotetsu had been chasing that green-haired man once again. Boy was that man a slippery one! Every time he was arrested, he always seemed to escape. The worst part was that the heroes still did not know who he was. The man was a mystery like none other. It was a miracle that none of the heroes were dead yet because of him.

  
Well, at least until now. Kotetsu literally hung between life and death. Below him was a 300 foot drop to instant death by concrete. Beside him were only a few inches of his shoulder plate left on the edge of the building. He dared not move, lest he should agitate his resting position and send himself careening to the ground. He knew Barnaby would not be pleased with that. Neither would Agnes or Kaede, or the rest of Hero TV. But, it was not his fault that he blacked out for some odd reason and woke up hanging off a building. He had not been hit, so why did he black out?

  
Glancing down sent Kotetsu's heart rate soaring. He was not particularly afraid of heights, but he was pretty high up still. He continued to look around slowly, trying to find out where his partner was. Barnaby was not within eyesight of Kotetsu, and Kotetsu's power had not been restored yet. Attempting to call Barnaby would kill him. Moving at all would kill him. Anything he tried to do would kill him. No part of this was a plus, so the negatives greatly out weighed the pluses in Kotetsu's situation.Just to add another negative to the long list, the green-haired man decided to show up with a devilish grin. He was also glowing, which made Kotetu scowl as it reminded him he was powerless.

  
"Well, what on earth are you doing hanging there, Buddy?"

  
"I don't know, Buddy. What am I doing here?"

  
The criminal cackled. "Oh, dear Wild Tiger. You have been a roadblock for me ever since I started hunting down your partner. I figured it was time to get rid of you, and your little powers helped me!"

  
Kotetsu wanted to look up at the man properly, but he tried his best not to move. Try as he did, he still managed to move himself off the edge more, giving himself an inch and a half of shoulder plate left. He shouted a bit, now terrified of his impending doom.

  
"Why are you a part of Ouroboros," Kotetsu questioned darkly.

  
"Why are you not?" The criminal rolled back on his heels in laughter. His glowing blue eyes taunted Kotetsu with every fiber they had.

  
"Don't taunt me you ass hole! Why are you with Ouroboros?!"

  
"Ooh Tiger's got a temper!"

  
"That is it!" Kotetsu turned his head to yell directly at the criminal as the rest of his suit slid off the edge of the building. He turned his body so his head was aimed at the concrete below. He was then prepared to be caught by his partner, and he called Barnaby quickly.

  
"I'm already headed your way," Barnaby said as soon as he picked up.

  
"You'd better hurry because I've only got 300 feet before I die."

  
"I'm coming as fast as I can!"

  
"That's what you said last week," Kotetsu mocked with a smile.

  
The brunette attempted to look back at the criminal, and he was surprised to see him in hot pursuit behind him. Kotetsu yelped and looked back down. He yelped yet again and covered his eyes. Barnaby always made it in time, so why should today be any different?

  
Barnaby did arrive just in time, however Kotetsu's face was inches away from being destroyed completely. They moved out of the way enough to avoid being hit by the criminal, who soared right through the concrete, creating a huge hole and was seemingly unharmed. Barnaby and Kotetsu shielded their faces as a shower of concrete covered them, and they looked up in time to see their enemy come soaring back with a wicked grin. Barnaby shoved Kotetsu out of the way and away from the hole, preventing his partner from taking the extremely hard hit that he took fully head on.

  
The collision was packed full of force that could only be performed by someone who had the Hundred Power. Maybe that was the criminal's power. But that option made no sense, as the criminal continued to swarm around Barnaby like an angry bee. He was flying, much like Sky High would, yet he packed a punch that was similar to the one Kotetsu had. His attacks were strong and head-on, like Rock Bison. He was quick, like Origami Cyclone. Could it be that the NEXT had the ability to copy powers?

  
Barnaby was distracted from his thinking when a strong kick connected with his stomach. He made a noise that made Kotetsu cringe because of how nonhuman it sounded. The blonde rolled across the concrete for several feet. When he finally came to a rest, he could barely move. His whole body felt broken, though it most likely was not. His suit, torn to pieces, provided no protection for him. That was what got Barnaby focused again, because the next attack that was soaring towards him was one that would surely knock him out if he did not move in time. His senses roared to life, and he stood defensively on the edge of the hole in the concrete.

  
The attack hit him at merciless, full force. It would have certainly killed him, with all its flying blades of ice, had his power not been activated and his senses awakened and heightened. As he flew backwards with the criminal, he grabbed the man's hands and twisted them hard. The criminal shoved Barnaby away, which was exactly what he wanted. However, the action caused him to fall through the hole. The criminal managed to slip away from the scene with a sour attitude.

  
Barnaby caught himself on a piece of loose metal hanging from the hole. It was a jolting stop, and it nearly caused Barnaby whiplash. Pieces of his suit were sent careening down to the ground and into the ocean, and Barnaby sighed once he was at a complete rest.

  
"We really need to stop damaging these suits," Kotetsu called from above.

  
The blonde, clearly irritated by the comment, looked up at Kotetsu. "You think I don't know that? Help me up before I slip."

  
With a small laugh, Kotetsu reached his hand down and grabbed Barnaby. He hauled his partner up with some difficulty, yet again reminding himself that he needed to lose the extra pounds he had gained since moving into the same house as his mother and daughter. They just had such amazing cooking, and Kotetsu was nowhere near a master chef.

  
Returning back to base was a challenge in itself. Saito was not happy with the damage to the suits, yet he willingly took them to patch them up. Such a strange man, he was. However, before he had the chance of taking them away, Barnaby spoke up about the contact with the mysterious, Ouroboros criminal.

  
"He kept attacking us with all sorts of powers. It's like he's a copycat or something."

  
"Like Kaede..." Kotetsu added. "But, when he touches a NEXT, he doesn't seem to lose the power after he touches another NEXT."

  
"Well," said Ben, who had been listening to the conversation, as well as Saito and Lloyds. "Did you get any sort of physical contact with him?"

  
Barnaby nodded with a smile that sent shivers down Kotetsu's spine. "He came head on at me and I grabbed his wrists. He managed to get free, and his next attack was directed at my chest. He cracked my suit, and he bled on it a little." The blonde got up and walked over to his suit, pointing out the spot of semi-dried blood on a crack.

  
"We have that sucker's blood!" Kotetsu exclaimed. "Now we can figure out who he is and what exactly he's doing with Ouroboros!"

  
Barnaby nodded at his partner with a wicked smile. He looked back down at his suit and ran his fingers over the cracks of metal and plexiglass.

  
"We've got you cornered now, criminal," Barnaby said to himself.

Later that night...

  
Barnaby sat at his computer desk in silence. Pulled up on the screen were articles about his parents' murder and the murderer, Albert Maverick. The happy memories of Mr. Maverick were wiped from Barnaby's mind after the incident a year ago. They meant nothing to him anymore, and he wished that they never happened. But he could not change the past. He did not have the ability to change his memories. The only person he knew to posses that power was Maverick himself, but he had used his power on himself. Now, the old man was of no use, just like Barnaby's memories.

  
Sighing, Barnaby looked back at his sleeping partner. Barnaby's place of rest had moved from the couch to Kotetsu's bedroom. So, technically, it was Barnaby's room now too. The blonde turned around in the chair and looked at Kotetsu, arms resting on the back of the chair and his chin on his arms. It was calming for him to gaze upon his partner while he slept. It really was quite attractive, but most of all, it was serene, enchanting, and relaxing.

  
He removed his glasses, as a man would after staying up late to read a book. Rubbing his eyes only made him more tired, but he just could not get the Ouroboros criminal off his mind. No matter what he tried, that same haunting face would stick in his mind. He was anxious to get the lab results back from the blood sample.

  
Kotetsu moaned a bit and rolled onto his back. He yawned and sat up slowly, glancing over at the soft light coming from Barnaby's computer.

  
"Bunny...?"

  
Barnaby sighed. "Yeah?"

  
"Why are you..." He yawned in the middle of his question. "Why are you still awake?"

  
The blonde shrugged, then realized that Kotetsu probably did not see the gesture. "I don't know. My mind is running at a million miles an hour."

  
Kotetsu moved to the foot of the bed. "Thinking about Green-Haired Freak?"

  
"Yeah, I guess."

  
"Need something to ease your mind?"

  
"What're you offering," the blonde asked sarcastically.

  
"Well, I was thinking..." Kotetsu got up, dressed in only his briefs, and walked over to Barnaby. "Maybe a shoulder rub."

  
Barnaby leaned forward and relaxed as Kotetsu began pulling and rubbing his shoulders. He sighed, and a smile crept on to his lips.

  
"You really need to learn to relax," Kotetsu said softly. "You'll give yourself wrinkles."

  
Barnaby hit him playfully. "No I won't."

  
"Well, you won't be as cheerful if you're tense all the time. I don't like to see you like that. It's like you collapse in on yourself..."

  
Barnaby's smile faded. There was a lot of emotion in Kotetsu's voice, and that slightly panicked Barnaby. He had not heard that much emotion in a voice since his parents were still alive. It was genuine emotion, the type that could rip your heart in two because of how true it was. It was emotion that made the whole body ache to hear more of it, yet it was painful if too much was expressed.

  
Barnaby's vision was soon blurred, tears welling up fast and out of the control of the blonde. They fell fast. They fell heavily. The fell as if they were the last thing Barnaby had to hold on to, and the were slipping away from him. He attempted to catch them all, failing miserably, and he was crying like he lost everything. He had lost everything to Ouroboros. He felt trapped. He could not escape from his misery, his grief, his anger and despair. Nothing could save him from the dark pit he was ever falling into.

  
Then...

  
All the pain was gone. All his mixed feelings were gone, whisked away when he acknowledged the warm touch of Kotetsu's arms around him. How they ended up on the floor, Barnaby did not know, nor did he care. All that mattered to him was Kotetsu hugging him tightly. It was such a foreign feeling to him, to be hugged. Then, he was crying again, not out of pain and fear, but of the knowledge that he was safe and loved by someone.

  
Barnaby buried his face in Kotetsu's neck and cried. He cried because he hurt, he cried because he was loved, and he cried because he loved back. He had not had the opportunity to love and be loved in nearly 20 years. It was a wonderful feeling to know what it was to love again.

  
Kotetsu smiled and held Barnaby tighter. He stroked the silky blonde locks of his partner, calmly and quietly. He comforted Barnaby as best as he could, like he would with Kaede during a thunderstorm.

  
"You mean so much to me," Kotetsu said softly. "If it wasn't for you, I would be dead now..."

  
Barnaby pulled back a bit and wiped his eyes. He looked into Kotetsu's eyes and he spoke his mind without a second thought.

  
"You mean the world to me, Kotetsu."

  
The older man smiled and wiped away some of Barnaby's tears. Then, he cupped his partner's face and leaned forward to kiss his forehead. Next came another hug, a kiss on the nose, the cheek, and last came a small peck on the lips.

  
"Then I'll never let you go without a fight, Barnaby, because you mean just as much to me. Without a doubt, you are the most important thing to ever happen to me since I lost Tomoe."

  
The two sat on the floor for several minutes. Most of the crying was done, and now it was just a time to reflect and calm down, though it seemed that Kotetsu hardly became over excited.

  
All the while, Kaede and Anju had heard Barnaby's crying, so they went to investigate the issue, cracking the door open slightly. They had arrived just in time to see the small kiss to Barnaby's forehead, and then to his lips. It was not really fair to say that the were disappointed, just a bit confused. Then came Kotetsu's confession to Barnaby, which made both Kaede and Anju go wide-eyed. To hear that Kotetsu had been so lonely after Tomoe passed was nothing new. It was the fact that he had found a new person to live for that caused the two ladies to become overwhelmed. They made their way off to Anju's room without the heroes knowing they had ever been there.

  
Soon, the heroes got up off the floor and moved to the bed, curling around each other and drifting off to peaceful sleep that stayed until morning. When morning did come, Kotetsu was the first to wake. Carefully, he untangled himself from Barnaby and padded over to the computer. The screen that was left up had the Ouroboros symbol on it with the words:

  
Why am I still at a dead end?!

  
Without so much as giving the screen a questioning glance, Kotetsu closed it and opened a new window. He placed a picture of the two of them in Rio on the window and typed out an answer to the question.

  
Because you've never looked at anything but the dead end.

Later that morning...

  
Barnaby sat at his desk in silence awaiting the proposed arrival of the test results of the blood. His legs were propped up on the desk and his arms were resting across his stomach. Everything about him seemed relaxed and calm.

  
Kotetsu smiled when he noticed that. He wondered if Barnaby saw his message earlier that morning.

  
Finally, after what seemed like years of waiting, Ben and Saito came into the room carrying a small box filled with papers and plastic baggies. Barnaby sat up straight in his chair, removing his feet from the desk. He leaned forward in anticipation, waiting for someone, anyone, to break open the box and analyze the results.

  
Kotetsu pulled out a pair of scissors and handed them over to Barnaby. "I believe you should be the one to open the box."

  
Barnaby's eyes widened and he stood, grabbing the box and cutting through the tape that held it shut. Once it was open, the blonde dug through the endless amount of packing peanuts to get to the manilla envelope that was desired. Opening it was a challenge for him. His hands were shaking terribly. But he managed to open it, and he pulled out the stack of papers along with a small memory chip of data that would be used to identify further who the mysterious man was.

  
Kotetsu took the chip and connected it to his computer. As it loaded, he looked over at Barnaby, who was completely consumed in the information the pages contained. The computer made a ding when the chip had loaded, causing Barnaby to snap out of his trance and pay attention to Kotetsu's computer screen. File after file popped up automatically, the last one popping up being a mug shot of the criminal with his name below.

  
"Travis..." Barnaby said.

  
"Just Travis?" Ben inquired.

  
Kotetsu nodded and looked through some of the basic information. "He only ever gave his first name to police. Never gave his last name or any other name."

  
"He's 5'9" tall," Barnaby added. "And he weighs 168 pounds. Blood type is O negative."

  
"Has the power to copy other NEXT's powers and continue to use them with only one touch. He never needs to touch that NEXT again because once he's got a touch, he's got the power. It doesn't matter if he touched a different NEXT afterwards."

  
Ben stood back and watched all the data fly on and off the screen. "So, he's like a more advanced Kaede. Speaking in terms of powers I mean."

  
Kotetsu nodded. "He's the only NEXT to have been recorded having this power."

  
"That's why he always gets away," Barnaby said through gritted teeth.

  
"'Has as some point come into contact with retired heroes, gaining their powers and using them for his crimes'. No wonder he's so powerful. I just hope he never had contact with Jake or Maverick."

  
Barnaby leaned forward more. "Where is his home base?"

  
Kotetsu moved away so Barnaby could see better. "Somewhere on the second level, although the exact location is unknown."

  
Barnaby moved back to his computer and pulled up a map, then pinpointed where each documented crime had occurred. Kotetsu rambled off multiple addresses of the crimes. Once he came to the last one, he looked over at the map, completely shocked by the picture that the crime scenes made.

  
"Oh, my god. Barnaby...it....it's-"

  
"Ouroboros!"

 

Tattoos...  
Fire...  
Gunshots...  
Haunting lies...  
Unforgivable truths...  
Witty criminals...  
Planned crimes...  
Plotted revenge...  
Parents lost...  
  


Travis...  
Unmasked...

Ouroboros.

 

"Ouroboros...Ouroboros...Ouroboros!"

  
Barnaby slammed his fists on the desk with as much force as he could come up with. He was angry, enraged, furious. The evidence was clear, and it was mocking him. It was mocking him! Ouroboros was mocking him! Ouroboros was laughing in his face, and none of it was petty laughter. All of it was haunting, gross, repulsive, gut-busting laughter, all in Barnaby's face.

  
No, this was not going to happen so long as Barnaby was alive. His parents would be avenged, and they would be avenged properly. They deserved the respect that they never got from their son. It was going to happen soon. Their respect would be paid to them in time. Ouroboros was in the way. It was always in the way. It wanted to be in the way, to hurt Barnaby as much as possible.

  
"Travis..." Barnaby hissed out. "Be prepared to go down with Ouroboros. Your games are over!"

  
Barnaby stormed out of the room, his eyes betraying the fear and panic that he felt flood over him. As he ran out, Kotetsu saw it. He saw the fear. He knew an attack was coming.

  
He ran after Barnaby and caught him just as he collapsed in the hallway, screaming for Travis and Ouroboros. Barnaby was in hysterics. He could not make himself stand up. It was too painful to try. All he could focus on was the haunting memory of his parents' murder. The face that once was fuzzy had cleared at one point to Jake's face, then morphed into Kotetsu's. The whole faded and cursed memory kept coming, morphing the murderer's face to Albert Maverick's and now it morphed back to Jake, then to Kotetsu, then finally to Travis. The green mess of hair burned into his memory. The stench of burning bodies filled his nostrils. Haze covered his vision. His hearing became muffled. He tasted an awful combination of blood and sulfur. He reached for something and felt nothing. He was alone, isolated, abandoned. He had nobody to stay by his side.

  
Barnaby screamed over and over in agony. He stumbled around to find his way, blinded in fear and rage and sorrow. He did not know what normal felt like anymore. He forgot what love felt like. He forgot the warmth that it brought, and he forgot how it chased away every bad thing that ever happened to him. He forgot everything that was familiar to him. Nothing was right. Disorientation took over and made his dizzy beyond comprehension. He shook as he continued to stumble around, standing occasionally on something unknown, only to fall down to the unknown that haunted him.

  
Dizziness lead to queasiness. He felt his stomach convulse, which was very painful as nothing came out. He might as well have been choking on air. Finally his stomach heaved so hard it brought up blood. Barnaby saw the blood and became so dizzy he could not tell which way was up or down.

  
He threw up again, vomiting a mucus-like substance tinted red with more blood. His stomach hurt bad, but it did not stop convulsing. He gasped for air, and each time it was forced out with more blood and vomit. Soon, his head hurt so much that it was all he could feel. He did not feel any protection around him at any point. He felt worthless. All he wanted was for the pain to end. The dizziness was too much to bear, as well as the suffocating feeling he was gaining. He might have been hyperventilating, or maybe he was screaming too much that his throat dried and cracked and bled.

  
He hurt. All of him was hurting. He was giving in. He could not take any more. His body would not allow it. He was pushed to his limit. His eyesight was going black, was fading away. His mind went first. Then taste, touch, smell, hearing, eyesight...

  
Then, all he heard, all he saw, all he felt, was Kotetsu.

  
"Barnaby," came his distant plea. It came repeatedly and so desperate. It sounded more like a whisper, and it felt warm.

  
Barnaby felt warm. He felt Kotetsu. His hand, shaking terribly, rose to the older man's face and lightly touched it.

  
Then Barnaby passed out cold, a cold that when he would wake would feel as if he had left his body, left alone in a dark and loveless marriage to death.

  
Kotetsu's voice echoed through his unconsciousness, like a clear bell ringing in the distance.

  
"Barnaby... Come back..."


	5. Awakened (Reminiscent)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots of fluff in this chapter. Kotetsu has some cute flashbacks, and Barnaby contemplates getting a tattoo... Also some intense Ouroboros moments.
> 
> Enjoy! :3

Chapter 5: Awakened (Reminiscent)

 

_"Please! Someone help me!"_

  
_Kotetsu looked up at the burning building to search for the cry of help. The blaze made it hard to pinpoint an exact location, but at least he had a general direction. It was enough for him, being the youngest hero in the mass of ten that made up the Hero TV hero squad._

  
_Activating his hundred power, Kotetsu took off running at blazing speeds that even the speedster of the hero squad, Fast Lane, could not keep up with. The older hero was quickly passed, and suddenly the wall of the college dorm building became Wild Tiger's running ground. He dodged collapsing windows and balconies to reach the young woman who had cried for help._

  
_She was still inside her dorm room when she cried for help, the flames surrounding her like a prowling lion ready to attack. She could not jump out the window or even crawl around to avoid the smoke. The fire was literally all around her._

  
_"Help, please!"_

  
_Kotetsu ran faster and launched himself off a balcony to reach the open window. He dove inside, barely missing the flames that threatened him menacingly. He had no time to waste. The building was collapsing on itself. With a swift movement, he picked up the woman and vaulted over and out the window, and just in time too. An explosion sent the two careening into the air violently._

  
_Kotetsu lost his grip on the woman. He reached out for her,called her name over and over because he did not want to lose the only person he loved._

  
_"Tomoe! Please don't leave me yet!"_

  
_She fell further and further away from his arms. She was falling out of sight, she was not in sight at all. Then, all kotetsu saw was her broken body on the concrete below._

 

 

Kotetsu woke with a shout. He was covered in sweat, but he was shivering. He shook violently and sat up quickly. He could not help but bring his knees up to his face and hide his tears in them.

  
Tomoe had not died like that, but it very well could have happened that way. The blast of the fire had been real, but Kotetsu's power had kicked into high gear and tightened his grip on Tomoe. He was glad it did, for that event began his five year journey with her; one year of dating and four wonderful years of happy marriage, with the extra package of a little girl. It had all been like a dream. It passed by him too fast. Kaede was almost eleven already! For seven years she had been without her mother. For almost seven years, Kotetsu had been lonely. But all the memories were good. There was not a single memory that came to his mind that was a bad one. Every moment with Tomoe had been blissful.

  
Kotetsu was smiling as he cried. He was not crying because he was sad, or because he blamed himself for Tomoe's death. He cried because he was grateful of the five years he had with his wonderful wife. There would never be a single person who could ever replace the spot in Kotetsu's heart that was reserved for Tomoe. However, other people would come who would love him just like she did.

  
Next to Kotetsu on the bed was Barnaby, who now had sat up and had begun to rub his partner's back lightly. When Kotetsu looked at him, he was surprised to see the older man smiling. His expression must have betrayed his confusion, because Kotetsu turned to sit facing him.

  
"Hey, don't worry about me, Bunny. I'm just happy," he said quietly while whipping his eyes dry.

  
"You're crying, yet you're happy? I don't understand, Kotetsu."

  
Kotetsu shrugged and chuckled. "I don't expect you to understand me all the time. It's not your job to."

  
"But, I want to understand you, Kotetsu. I want to know you like the back of my hand. We're partners." He grabbed Kotetsu's shoulders. "So, shouldn't we know each other like we know our own self?"

  
Kotetsu was silent and looked into Barnaby's eyes, moonlight hitting them just right to illuminate them, like two green pools of healing waters. His own honey-golden eyes reflected back the moonlight in an enchanting way.

  
"Barnaby, I already know so much about you." Kotetsu cupped Barnaby's face as tears came to his eyes again. "To imagine a world without ever knowing you is painful, and it's just as painful to see you collapse in fear that you can't understand."

  
Barnaby shook his head slightly. "Pain is an illusion..."

  
"No, Barnaby. I've known a type of pain that you don't understand. And it's simply because you haven't been married. To lose the one you're married to is a pain that never goes away... No matter how hard you try to push it away..."

  
The blonde looked deep into Kotetsu's eyes, deeper than he had ever hoped to look before. His hands trembled as he brought them up to his partners. The tanned hands he touched did not seem like they belonged to the Kotetsu he knew, but instead to a Kotetsu from the past, one from almost 11 years ago.

  
That young Kotetsu was not afraid to ask questions. He was not afraid to go against the world, not worrying about what might come later. That Kotetsu never hid his feelings from the ones he loved.

  
"I know you like the back of my hand already, Bunny. There's only ever been one other person who I knew that well."

  
The Kotetsu that Barnaby knew hid his feelings about his past. That Kotetsu hesitated before sharing anything dear to him, and he acted upon instinct instead of feelings like he once did. The Kotetsu Barnaby knew was a man who boxed up his painful emotions and traded them for painful actions of the present. But, that Kotetsu that Barnaby had come to know was gone. For some reason, that Kotetsu was gone from Barnaby's sight. A new Kotetsu was emerging, or rather, a version of Kotetsu that had once known painless, unconditional love.

  
"Kotetsu..." was all the blonde could manage to say before a new feeling flooded his heart like an ocean. It was so powerful, so deep, that his physical body could not support the sudden deep trust and compassion that came from Kotetsu's small, gentle smile.

  
"I'm not hiding any more, Barnaby. I'm letting you know all of me now, from my highest peaks and dreams, to my blackest, nastiest fears and angers."

  
Tears flowed steadily from the blonde's eyes. Barnaby was so moved that he was literally speechless and immobile. His partner had just put his whole life in him, his whole being.

  
"There will be days where it'll be rough. But I can promise you now, Barnaby, I'm promising you right now." Kotetsu pulled Barnaby into a tight and firm hug. "I'm never letting you go, because I never let go of Tomoe when she was with me. She'll never be replaced in my heart, but she sure can share some of her place with you, Barnaby."

  
Barnaby could not express in words how he felt. His speech was lost in the middle of the confession and the embrace, that warm embrace that was something he had not experienced in years. His face grew hot with his tears, which slid down his cheeks and fell onto Kotetsu's warm skin. The places where they fell glowed blue, spreading over Kotetsu's whole body as his power activated because of his feelings, and not because of instinct. Barnaby could not hold back his powers any more as well, his emotions taking over him.

  
The power surge Barnaby experienced was light-hearted. He used his power not in defense or attack, but in establishing a deep friendship that was sure to never break, no matter the circumstances. The light feeling relaxed both Barnaby and Kotetsu as they hugged.

  
Kotetsu stroked Barnaby's slightly flattened curls with a soft smile. Tears of his own streamed down his face, because for once in his life, Kotetsu actually felt safe with a person. He finally, after almost 12 years, had someone that he could trust to share every moment of his life with. And, with that person being Barnaby, Kotetsu knew that with this new status in their relationship, the two could support each other on a daily basis. Kotetsu was alright with that. And so was Barnaby.

 

Barnaby and Kotetsu sat in the kitchen in the dark, neither of them being able to sleep after the huge share of trust that had been exchanged between them. The older man was scrounging around in the refrigerator, pushing around the numerous containers of Baja Blast that his main sponsor had so generously given him. Barnaby's stash of Coca Cola products were put away in the mini fridge that the heroes had in their room.

  
"Hey," Kotetsu said to get his partner's attention. "Want a Mountain Dew?"

  
"Sure," Barnaby replied with a shrug.

  
Kotetsu grabbed two, sat them on the table, and sat down next to Barnaby. He opened his can and took a long swig of the fizzy drink. Barnaby then opened his, taking a much smaller sip that Kotetsu.

  
"You know, I don't get paid enough to make commercials for this."

  
"That's because all your advertisements are bad, compared to mine."

  
Kotetsu scoffed. "Yours never make any sense. All you do is prance and hop around in your suit, then make a couple of voice-overs, just like the little bunny that you are," the older man said while ruffling Barnaby's hair.

  
"At least I act normal. You try to act all macho in your commercials."

  
"Yeah? Well, I make a lot more commercials than you."

  
"You need so many because of your ridiculously huge ego."

  
Both heroes laughed, amused at the fun they poked at each other just over the commercials they made for their sponsors.

  
"And also," Barnaby continued. "Didn't PepsiCo give you your cheesy catchphrase, or whatever you'd like to call it?"

  
"What? 'My power may last for only a minute, but there's nothing that I can't handle'? Yeah, they did give me that. Kinda lame that it's too similar to Blue Rose's catchphrase."

  
"That's what happens when your main sponsor company is the same as hers."

  
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "It's not like I wanted to have the same company sponsor me. I needed sponsors, and Pepsi was the first one to jump at the opportunity."

  
"And then Coca-Cola wanted to advertise. So they chose me, your partner, to advertise their products, which are the main competition for Pepsi products." The blonde shook his head. "Sponsors will do anything to get advertised on a hero."

  
They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their Mountain Dews and exchanging subtle, loving glances.

  
Kotetsu looked down at his can after a while, playing with the tab on the top slightly, then he looked at the silver ring on his left hand.

  
"Tomoe was a bit like you when she was in high school..."

  
Barnaby looked at Kotetsu, eyebrows furrowed upwards. "Kotetsu-"

  
"Maybe that's why I trust you so much." The brunette smiled and looked at Barnaby, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight that shone through the kitchen window.

  
Barnaby took in a breath and sighed with a smile. He shook his head then finished off his can of Baja Blast. Kotetsu could be a pain in the rear sometimes, but at least he was tolerable most of the time.

  
The blonde stood and took his can to the trash can, placing it softly in the plastic bin so as to not wake Kaede or Anju. Coming up behind Kotetsu, although still a strange action for Barnaby, made him feel relaxed and at peace inside. His arms somehow wrapped around the older man, and he stayed there, letting Kotetsu run his fingers over the smooth skin of his arms. Barnaby placed a small kiss on the top of Kotetsu's head. He took in the brunette's masculine smell, sharp but hinted with a sweetness that was dying to be uncovered, similar to Kotetsu himself.

  
"Bunny?"

  
Barnaby hugged tighter. "Yeah?"

  
"A few days ago, when you had your meltdown... It was the worst one you've had."

  
Still Barnaby hugged tighter to Kotetsu. He did not remember much of the event. Most of it was a black haze in his memory.

  
"You scared me when you collapsed in the hall," Kotetsu continued. "I thought... I thought you had lost your mind completely. You looked so pale, and your eyes were bloodshot. I had to pick up your glasses afterwards. You knocked them off pretty violently."

  
Barnaby was shaking now, breathing irregularly and holding on to Kotetsu for dear life. He was clearly scared, being on the edge of another meltdown.

  
No meltdown was going to happen while Kotetsu was around to prevent it. He stood, making sure to keep a hold of his partner, and turned to face him. With the greatest amount of protection and love, Kotetsu embraced Barnaby as tight as he could. There was no way that Kotetsu would allow Barnaby to shut down like he did two days previous. Ouroboros was NOT going to tear his precious blonde away from his grip, even if it meant him dying for Barnaby.

  
For Barnaby, the hug felt so good, so protective. However, it was not enough for him. He wanted to be closer, to feel happier. Making a brave move, Barnaby pulled back slightly and pulled Kotetsu's face closer to his, looking into the honey eyes that had calmed him numerous times before.

  
The small space between them was unbearable, Barnaby was close to sobbing because he felt so alone and scared. Then suddenly his feelings of loneliness were gone, his desperate want of being closer to Kotetsu erased. The blonde's eyes were wide open.

  
Kotetsu's lips felt warm and soft to the younger man. The sudden removal of the space between the heroes was such a huge relief for Barnaby that his eyes closed tight, and he kissed back in a desperate manner. He felt circles being drawn on the back of his neck, reassuring him that he had no reason to be afraid anymore. His partner was going to be by his side for the rest of his life, and there would never be any separation that would threaten Barnaby with loneliness ever again.

  
Their lips parted briefly, allowing them to take in oxygen before kissing again. This time, Barnaby kissed more for pleasure rather than fighting the loneliness. Kotetsu made sure that the loneliness was completely gone as Barnaby was kissed by him.

  
Whatever Kotetsu tried while they kissed, whether it was soft rubbing or loving touches, nothing seemed to work better to reassure Barnaby than just being in the blonde's presence. Maybe Barnaby was feeling less desperate after a while, because his grip on Kotetsu lessened, and the kiss ended soon after. Kotetsu was glad to see his partner's relaxed expression. Another embrace was shared between them, and Kotetsu helped Barnaby move to the living room once the blonde had enough strength to move again.

  
Kotetsu moved to the end of the couch and sat down. He then patted his lap gently, gesturing for Barnaby to lie down across the length of the couch. Barnaby did as he was instructed, resting his head on Kotetsu's lap. A warm arm draped over his shoulder, and the attached hand interlocked its fingers with Barnaby's. Soon the blonde could hardly keep his eyes open to look at Kotetsu. The last thing he remembered seeing was the warm smile of his partner. Whatever happened after that was lost in the night, and it was lost on Barnaby.

When Barnaby woke, he could smell what he identified as possibly bacon and eggs, whether they were over easy, sunny side up, or scrambled. He did not know, and neither did he care. His stomach growled.

  
Slowly, he opened his eyes. His head was turned towards the ceiling, so the first thing he saw was Kotetsu's sleeping face, mouth slightly open and drool running out of the side closest to the ground. The blonde smiled and yawned. He felt around for his glasses, which had been left back in the bedroom. After realizing his glasses were not near him, he looked back up at Kotetsu, yawned again, and stretched a bit, staying still enough to keep Kotetsu asleep.

  
However, Kotetsu did need to be woken up. Anju made that clear when she came up behind the couch and rested her arms on the back cushions, startling Barnaby slightly at her sudden appearance.

  
"Good morning, Barnaby," she said softly with a smile. God, it looked so much like Kotetsu's smile.

  
"Morning," he replied while yawning.

  
"I'm making breakfast for you two, so don't worry about trying to pick something up on the way to work." Anju returned to the kitchen to continue preparing breakfast, for both the heroes and Kaede, who was headed off to school soon.

  
Barnaby yawned yet again, making note of trying to get more sleep at night instead of racking his brain for the answers to Ouroboros. His hand rested on his chest, his head still resting in the sleeping brunette's lap, and one leg was crossed over the other, threatening to drag his whole body off the couch with one wrong move. It was oddly comfortable, but both he and Kotetsu needed to get up for the day. Otherwise, neither of them would be able to respond to a call when they were needed.

  
Deciding on a way to wake Kotetsu was a slight challenge. It needed to be in a kind way, but it needed to not show much affection, for the sake of keeping their relationship in secrecy. But, god, that face was just calling to Barnaby to touch it softly, to stroke it and to smile as the brunette woke to the touch. In the end, that was what Barnaby decided to do to wake Kotetsu. Slowly, he reached up the hand that rested on his chest to the tanned skin of Kotetsu's face. His fingers ran over the skin as gently as possible.

  
Kotetsu moaned quietly, his breath catching slightly as his eyes opened. He grimaced slightly and looked down at Barnaby. The blonde smiled.

  
"Good morning, old man."

  
Kotetsu smiled and shoved Barnaby up off his lap. He yawned and reached his arms upwards as his daughter came hopping down the hall to the kitchen.

  
"Morning, Daddy," Kaede called without stopping, moving right into the kitchen to grab her breakfast. Anju looked into the living room when Kaede spoke up.

  
"Well look who finally woke up," she said kindly as she padded back over to the couch, a towel draped over her shoulder. "Good morning, Kotetsu." She hugged his head gently, careful not to rough him up too much before he was fully awake.

  
"Morning, Mom."

  
"I already told Barnaby this, but I'm making breakfast for you two so you don't have to worry about rushing to grab something before you go to work."

  
Kotetsu yawned before responding. "Wow, thanks Mom." He smiled.

  
Anju smiled back and ruffled his hair slightly before returning to the kitchen. Both Kotetsu and Barnaby watched her, waiting for her to be out of sight, then they leaned towards each other and kissed lightly, short and sweet.

  
"Oh, by the way," Anju said, sticking her head around the corner to look at the two heroes. "You two left your cans on the table last night. I'm not upset, because I know you both have had a rough couple of nights, but pick up after yourselves, please?"

  
Barnaby tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "But, I thought I threw away my can."

  
"You did, Bunny." Kotetsu looked at his mother. "But we only took out two cans."

  
"Oh, well maybe a few of them are from yesterday. Kaede and I each had a can."

  
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, I probably left my can sitting on the table. Sorry, Mom"

  
Anju waved her hand to dismiss the subject. She then moved out of the way as Kaede came bouncing into the living room, stopping at the couch to kiss her father on the cheek.  
"I'm going to school now. See you tonight, Daddy!" With that, she ran out the front door to catch up with her friends.

  
The old woman sighed and shook her head. "That girl needs to slow down. I'm surprised she didn't even say anything to you, Barnaby."

  
"Oh, that's alright," Barnaby said, standing and yawning. "She was in a hurry anyways." He turned to look at his partner. "I'm getting a shower. I'll be back out in ten minutes."

The blonde headed deeper into the house, feeling against the walls slightly to find his way.

  
Kotetsu sighed and stood, wobbling around a bit before gaining proper balance. He looked towards his mother. "I'm getting some pants on before eating."

  
Anju nodded, going to prepare a plate for him. When he came back, his plate was setting on the kitchen counter with a small wine glass and a bottle of his favorite light wine, which was what he always drank with his breakfast. Anju had to hide it while Kaede was around, not that it bothered her any.

  
Kotetsu chuckled when he also spotted a plate for Barnaby, because Anju, being the sweet older lady she was, was kind enough to not make Barnaby work too hard in the morning. Next to Barnaby's plate was a glass of milk.

  
Kotetsu's glass of wine was poured, his plate was filled, and his morning had pretty much been made. He sat in front of the TV, turning it on and flicking through the channels until he got to the morning news, along with the recap of the previous day's Hero TV episodes.

  
Nothing much had happened since the discovery of Travis's identity. It was odd for such little amount of activity to occur on a regular basis. It had only been two days, and already ratings were down for the famous program. Surely Agnes was not happy about that.

  
Kotetsu was about to take another bite of his eggs when his tattoo caught his eye. He looked down at the small black and pink tattoo, surprised that he could actually see it to say the least. He had been working out more recently, so maybe soon he would be able to adore the little decoration without having to look past a slightly protruding stomach. For now, he would just have to work out a little more, as well as buy a belt or new pants. That little tattoo mesmerized Kotetsu for a good five minutes, the trance seeming to be broken when Anju came into the living room and sat beside Kotetsu.

  
The brunette shook his head slightly, then glanced at his mother before turning his attention back to his breakfast. He hoped that she had not actually been sitting there for very long, for it would have been a very awkward explanation as to why he stared at his tattoo for five minutes.

  
The program on the TV soon turned to a Q and A with the retired hero, Stealth Soldier. Most of what was being talked about dealt with either Barnaby and Keith, and who would be the next King of Heroes. After all, the two had been fighting for the spot for almost two years. The topic was not talked on much, as Stealth Soldier soon turned the conversation to a reminiscent secession, talking about mainly the original King of Heroes, Mr. Legend. Kotetsu's interest was sparked once the name of his personal hero was mentioned.

  
"I definitely think that this season will have a big fight in points between Barnaby Brooks Junior and Sky High, but we really need to keep in perspective who this all started with, who the original King of Heroes was, and of course that's none other than Mr. Legend himself. He was the one who inspired many of the first heroes ever to appear on Hero TV, and he continues to inspire heroes even today. I don't know a single hero out there, a single NEXT, who doesn't know who Mr. Legend was, and there's not a single one who isn't impacted in some way by that man's actions."

  
Kotetsu could not help from smiling as his hero was praised over and over. He was so engrossed by the program that he did not notice Barnaby's return from the shower. The blonde stood beside the couch, eating his breakfast as he too listened to the program.

  
"There's been well over 30 crowned King of Heroes since Hero TV has started, some of those even being named Queens, but I truly believe that there has never been a better display of a King of Heroes than when only one of today's heroes was in the playing field."

  
Barnaby looked down at Kotetsu with a slightly confused expression. Surely he was not referring to Kotetsu...

  
"Now hold it," another commentator interrupted. "I really believe that Barnaby has been the best yet! He has broken Mr. Legend's original points record, and he's already well on his way to beating the record that he created!"

  
"Who really cares," Stealth Soldier butted back in. "I do not believe that Barnaby, or even Sky High, can manage to pull off in their whole careers what Wild Tiger did in only one season! That hero pulled twice his weight by the time his second season came around! He held the title of King of Heroes for five years, the longest record of any hero in the history of Hero TV. Had his whole world not collapsed around him in his fifth season, bless his soul, I have no doubts that he would still be the very best. I believe he is the best there is and ever will be. That hero shows a type of determination and compassion that I wish I had mastered when I was still a hero. If there's one hero I look up to, it's not Mr. Legend. It is, hands down, Wild Tiger."

  
Barnaby was flat out stunned. For someone to say they looked up to Kotetsu instead of Mr. Legend was brave. It was almost ridiculous, but he supposed if one was really inclined to think that, then let sleeping dogs lie.

  
Kotetsu's smile remained through the rest of the program, though sometimes it ranged from a slight smirk to a cheesy crooked grin. Memory after memory came flooding back into his mind, most of them from his second season, the season that he married Tomoe and had Kaede. Back then, life seemed as if it could not be bad in any way...

 

 

_Kotetsu was in the gym doing bench presses when he was called to the scene of a bank robbery. Bank robberies were really no problem for him after handling them for so long. Maybe that was why he was always the one called to them first._

  
_This scenario seemed no different than any of the others, so Kotetsu actually enjoyed for once using his grappling hooks to travel to the sight. It really was becoming his signature mode of transportation, and he was completely okay with that because life could not be better for him. That morning, Tomoe had scared him half to death while he was eating by screaming something so unintelligible that he had to literally hold her still to understand her. As it turned out, Tomoe had taken a pregnancy test, and it turned out positive._

  
_What a day it had been so far!_

 

 

Anju and Barnaby headed back to the kitchen once the program was over. Barnaby had so many questions about Kotetsu's early career, but he was too busy in reminiscing in his memories to answer any questions the blonde may have had.

 

 

_The end of the season ceremony was only hours away, and Kotetsu was nothing but a nervous wreck. By this time, Tomoe was already four months pregnant, yet Kotetsu still freaked out about whether she would be comfortable or not sitting for several hours without him by her side._

  
_"Trust me, Kotetsu," she had reassured. "I'll be fine. Your mom will be with me in case anything happens."_

  
_"I know, but what if something happens, Baby? I won't be around to help you!"_

  
_"Kotetsu, I told you your mother will be around if something does happen!" She laughed and hugged Kotetsu. "Please don't worry about me, Sweetie. I want you to stay focused on winning that title again this season!"_

  
_Kotetsu sighed. She was right. He was worrying over nothing. Tomoe was perfectly healthy, and so was the baby. Unless a freak accident occurred, nothing bad was going to happen to her. With a shy smile, he put his hands over her slightly enlarged belly and rested his forehead on hers._

  
_Tomoe gave him a quick peck on the lips. She laughed again, making Kotetsu laugh as well, and soon both of them were laughing almost hysterically._

  
_That night was going to be absolutely amazing..._

 

 

"Keith and I struggle to keep the top spot all the time," Barnaby said to Anju. "I don't understand how Kotetsu could have held on to the spot for five years!"

  
"Kotetsu had Tomoe to help him stay on top. He is a man who needs motivation to be great, and once he has it, he can go all the way to the top with the smallest of pushes."

  
The blonde looked back into the living room at Kotetsu, who laughed to himself at a happy memory. Barnaby smiled. What could have been going through Kotetsu's mind?

 

 

_Kotetsu stood among his fellow heroes on the grand stage at the end of the season ceremony. He was shaking slightly in anticipation, but also because he was worried about Tomoe. He had to focus, though._

  
_"Let's total up the points for this season to find out who is this year's King of Heroes!"_

  
_As the points tallied up, Kotetsu attempted to stay calm. The spectators nor the heroes could see the scores at the moment, and the silence that continued to drag on was only bringing in the suspense._

  
_"And this year's King of Heroes is... Wild Tiger!"_

  
_The crowed roared to life, and Tomoe jumped to her feet, screaming and laughing, boasting that her husband was the King of Heroes for a second year. She made her way towards the stage as quickly as she could._

  
_Kotetsu stepped forward on the stage with a wide grin. He laughed and took a deep breath before letting out his signature Wild Roar. The crowd ate it up and grew only louder. Somehow, the brunette was able to catch sight of Tomoe. He watched as she was helped onto the stage, and she ran to him with arms wide open. He met her with a firm embrace, though careful to not injure the baby in the process._

  
_"You did it! I knew you could do it, Baby!"_

  
_Kotetsu laughed and nodded. "I couldn't have done it without you, Tomoe!" He leaned closer and kissed her in front of thousands of screaming fans, the cheering becoming considerably louder when they did kiss._

  
_Together, both Kotetsu and Tomoe were so happy in this moment of bliss. They never wanted that feeling to go away._

 

 

"So, because Kotetsu never had any true support after Tomoe died, he fell to the bottom pretty easily, huh?"

  
Anju nodded with a sad smile. "He never really was the same after she was gone. Then, when you came around, he came home saying that you frustrated him so much that he wanted to see you fall to the bottom of the scoreboard."

  
"Then we got to know each other more."

  
"Exactly," Anju agreed. "You motivated him so much that he slowly rose back up to the top."

  
Barnaby smiled and pushed his glasses back up in his face. "Then I say let's get him all the way to the top again."

Later that morning...

  
Kotetsu and Barnaby sat at their work desks, quietly working on their own projects, as their daily work had been finished early. Both were working on something that had to deal with Travis. Kotetsu was researching the criminal's placement of his crimes while Barnaby looked through arrest records. Neither of them were really serious or dedicated to their work. It was just something to pass the time that sparked their interests.

  
The topic of Travis soon became boring, and their minds wandered away to more leisurely things, such as looking up new recipes for fried rice and looking at Rio de Janeiro vacation pictures. Surprising to all other co workers, the two heroes were relatively silent, only getting the other's attention to look at something briefly. However, the small amount of talk made the amount of unspoken communication go unnoticed. The two were constantly looking at each other, but nobody knew that because the two were not doing anything that would spark attention. Kotetsu was always looking over Barnaby's body, noticing all the curves and folds of the blonde's body and clothes. Barnaby would be constantly locking his attention on Kotetsu's honey-golden eyes.

  
Smiles were always things that the heroes exchanged. And why would they not be? Smiles were contagious!

  
Lunch soon passed, as did the afternoon break. Still, no activity or any sign of Travis was to be had. It looked like it would be yet another uneventful day for the hero tag team.  
Another day came and went, and another, and soon a whole week had passed with no sort of criminal activity. By this point, Kotetsu and Barnaby no longer had daily assignments to do because there was nothing else to be researched.

  
Week two of no activity passed by, and Barnaby began to seriously doubt their decision to uncover Travis's identity. They had no lead anymore, no new information to be brought into the equation.

  
So Barnaby began thinking about getting a tattoo on his right hip to match Kotetsu's. Obviously, if he was going to get a matching tattoo, he would have to get a tattoo of the Wild Tiger logo.

  
Week three began with Barnaby planning out all his trips to aquire his tattoo. First would be just the outline of the small logo, then one trip for the black ink, and another later for the yellow ink. He did not plan on telling Kotetsu until it was completely finished. The only downside was if they had to rush into a fight, and the spot where the tattoo would be located would somehow be hit directly. If that did happen, it was sure to hurt bad. Nevertheless, Barnaby proceeded to get the tattoo, and by the middle of week four, the tattoo was fully inked. It was still painful for a few days, but Barnaby figured it would be worth it when the two would go to the gym to work out together and BAM! There would be the tattoo.

  
Barnaby smiled to himself at the thought, and Kotetsu caught sight of it. He smirked and leaned over to Barnaby.

  
"Hey what's that smile about, huh? You hiding something from me?"

  
Barnaby chuckled. "Dude, you don't even know. But, hey. Speaking of hiding things, I noticed it's harder for you to hide your tattoo without a shirt on."

  
"Oh yeah?" Kotetsu looked down at his now flat stomach. "Well, I guess you're right."

  
"It actually looks good on you now," Barnaby said with a laugh.

  
"Oh, just shut up, Bunny," Kotetsu laughed out.

  
Week four ended, and still there was no sign of any criminal activity anywhere in Stern Bild. It was news that was unsettling to Barnaby. If Travis had wanted to make a move, he surely would have done it by now.

  
Unless Travis was gathering a bunch of NEXT and planning an attack.

  
When the thought dawned upon him, Barnaby's eyes widened. His hands flew to the keyboard of his computer at work, and he began typing furiously. Kotetsu had been interrupted from his nap at the sudden raged typing sounds coming from his partner's general direction.

  
Looking over, Kotetsu tilted his head when Barnaby typed in name after name of criminals into a crime lapse simulator. Slowly, the patterns of each of the crimes came together to form the symbol of Ouroboros. No new data was had after that point, so it absolutely terrified Barnaby when suddenly all the red dots raced towards the center of town to condense into a mass of criminal activity.

  
Every sort of siren or warning bell that the building had suddenly went off. The heroes' call bracelets were alerting and warning off the walls. It was absolute chaos in the building, people running around and screaming in panic, not knowing what was going on, or why it was happening. Sirens across the city could be heard as Barnaby stared at his computer screen, flashing messages and loud sirens alerting of the danger. Every computer was in that same bizarre mode, unable to be used, locked, or even shut down. Then all the screens flashed with glitched pictures of Ouroboros and horrible death scenes.

  
Kotetsu and Barnaby ran to the holding area of their hero suits, quickly being suited up and launched out into the outrageous chaos that the city was in. They raced side by side on their motorcycles, though not attached together in case one was violently attacked, preventing both from being tossed around.

  
"Alright, heroes, it's showtime," Agnes called through the headsets of each hero.

  
"Agnes, this is an Ouroboros attack," Barnaby nearly shouted. "We need all heroes to be within a safe distance of the group. Otherwise we won't be able to break through them."

  
"You've got it, pretty boy. You all hear that? Spread out and surround the group of criminals. All angles need to be covered."

  
Kotetsu banked away from Barnaby, looking for a sign to know just exactly how large of a group they were messing with. He searched and searched, going on over passes, on ramps, and off ramps to asses the situation. So far, it looked bad. Not a single body could be seen the closer and closer to the center of the city he got. It was deeply disturbing, and it was also highly distracting, for Kotetsu had not noticed that he was being watched now.

  
He traveled back to Barnaby, who was barking orders at each hero, telling what exactly they were supposed to do when they found an attack point. He looked over at his partner and raised his face mask.

  
"Kotetsu, we have a big problem. There are spies crawling all over the place where you can't see them. They've been taking citizens hostage."

  
Kotetsu raised his mask. "What?! You've got to be kidding me! There's no way we can save them alone!"

  
"I know, but we have to try. It's our only way to get into the barrier the criminals have set up. It's like a big energy field that we can't get through."

  
"Then how the hell are we supposed to get in?! We can't just go waltzing in. We'd get killed, Barnaby!"

  
"I know, Kotetsu, I know! I don't know how we're getting in!"

  
Kotetsu lowered his face mask again and sped forward, dodging pieces of the road that were destroyed beyond repair.

  
"Blue Rose, this is Wild Tiger. Do you read me?"

  
"I hear you, Tiger. What's the scoop?"

  
"We need a way to get through this forcefield. Bunny and I haven't seen it yet, so try to break through it. Get Dragon Kid and Origami to help you."

  
"Roger that!"

  
Barnaby moved up next to Kotetsu again. "We have to go search the edge of the city. There are some victims who are minutes away from dying if we don't go to them now."  
"No, leave those to the second leagues. Head to the center interstate!"

  
Kotetsu sped off towards the on ramp that led to the interstate, which ran all the way around the center of the city. The road was a bit uneven, and he caught some air as he sped up the ramp, Barnaby close behind and maneuvering around the uneven asphalt. The closer they got to the center of the city, the more destroyed the roads were, which blew Kotetsu's mind. One quick event had the power and force to destroy all ways of getting in or out.

  
The two heroes had almost reached their destination when the back end of Kotetsu's motorcycle was whipped way out to the side. He screamed as he hit the road hard, the metal death trap tumbling in his direction without signs of stopping.

  
"KOTETSU!"

  
The motorcycle slammed into Kotetsu's body, the back wheel clearly being connected by a grappling hook that was dragging it off the road and down a fall to death, pulling Kotetsu with it.

  
"KOTETSU! NO!!!!"

  
The last glimpse Barnaby caught of Kotetsu was his terrified expression as he shot off the side of the road and fell into the heartbreaking void that the blonde knew all too well.

  
"KOTETSU!!!"

  
Looking back forward in a split second caused him to slam on his brakes, tires producing an earsplitting squealing. He groaned desperately as he pulled away from the broken road ahead. The huge gaping hole that fell to the ocean drew ever closer, and Barnaby could not stop his vehicle in time.

  
The tires, now parallel with the edge of the hole, squealed their last time as their grip on the asphalt disappeared, sending Barnaby careening over the edge. He firmly placed his feet on the seat of the motorcycle and activated his hundred power to launch himself upwards enough to grab the road's end. His hands just barely reached their destination, one of them slipping and sending debris flying everywhere. Barnaby made panicked exhales, and he let whimpers and shouts escape his mouth as he pulled himself up with much struggle.

  
His hand holds kept crumbling under his grip. The road gave way piece by piece as he tried desperately to pull himself up. His body flailed wildly when his hand slipped free of its hold. Now the terrified blonde held on by only one hand, nothing below his feet that he could possibly reach to support him. His hundred power continually proved to be too powerful for the destroyed road. Nothing he did with his power helped to pull him up.

  
Barnaby could not focus straight on the task at hand. All he could manage to say was a multitude of no's and please's. Tears rolled down his face as the asphalt he currently held onto with the one hand cracked.

  
"nonononononopleasedontpleasedont"

  
Barnaby's vision was blurred beyond any possible point of seeing. His helmet hung around his neck precariously, and his free hand desperately grabbed at the edge of the road once more. It was just in time, for the other hand gave way, jolting Barnaby's whole body and sending his helmet careening to the ocean below.

  
With a determined growl, Barnaby pulled with his arm as hard as he could on the piece of sturdy asphalt that he had miraculously grabbed. He managed to get his free hand on the top of the road, digging his hands in a crack that was just as sturdy as the asphalt it was connected to. Barnaby groaned and grunted in panic, pulling himself onto the ledge that hug out above the ocean dangerously.

  
As fast as he could, Barnaby kicked himself away from the ledge, panting heavily and whimpering in fear and shock. His tears fell more as he slowly stood, his back to the center of the city. Then slowly, he turned to see what he was searching for to begin with.

  
There, in the city's center, was a huge glowing dome that housed all the criminals of Stern Bild, Ouroboros associated or not. It did not matter now. All of them were involved with Ouroboros at this point.

  
Barnaby collapsed to the ground, sobbing at the sight he witnessed before him. He breathed irregularly as he sobbed. He was terrified. He had no warmth to comfort him now. His mind spun and his stomach convulsed painfully, forcing him to spit up blood and nasty mucus. The tightness of his suit suffocated him and pushed against his body in such a manner that it hurt to move. His mind was fogged over with nothing but the burning image of Ouroboros. Never had he felt so out of control, so lost, so blind, so hurt, in so much mental and physical torment that he wanted to end it all.

  
Barnaby just could not take it anymore. He threw his head back and screamed in the torrential amount of agony that he felt, and with a shaky breath, he collapsed onto the asphalt, exhausted and puking up blood .

  
He laid there, crying, hurting, maybe even dying. He had no reason to go on, no reason to fight anymore. What conscious mind he had left could only handle thinking two things, the first being Ouroboros, and the last being the haunting image he saw play out before him of losing his partner. With his last breath before passing out, he collected his thoughts and whispered one name, a name that he had always called for desperately during his meltdowns, and a name that meant more to him now more than ever.

  
"Kotetsu..."

  
And with that, Barnaby closed his eyes.


	6. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouroboros is a nasty thing... Be warned, there is much violence and some blood mentioned.
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Betrayal

He had not the slightest clue who the man was who drug him down away from all he had known. He was disoriented as he fought the man, fists flying in every direction to deter the enemy's attacks.

  
His did not move his limbs though. He was not controlling them, not any part of him was controlling them.

  
So how did they move?

 

Clouds and sky flew past his vision as he fell towards the ocean below. The violent wind blew his hair in his eyes, preventing him from seeing properly. He was terrified of what was to come.

  
If only there were someone to catch him...

 

He heard his own voice, though it was like he was in a tunnel. He was no where near any of the tunnels in the city, at least not that he could see. What he did see was surrounded by a haze that switched between blue and orange. It almost gave him a headache from the constant switch between the harsh colors.

 

His vision suddenly was overcome by a haze of blue and orange. He had not activated his power, and yet here it was right in the nick of time. The last thing he remembered was seeing his partner's terrified face as he went over the edge with his motorcycle. He fell down, down past the top two levels of the city. Then he was body slammed so hard that he was launched towards the bottom level of the city, his motorcycle following by the line of his grappling hook. He landed on the concrete with a crunch, his suit breaking because of the impact, and then his motorcycle slammed into him. He skidded a hundred feet, coming to a rest just inches from the long fall to the ocean.

 

He fought hard, yet he was fighting nothing. His mind was fighting while he was unconscious. His body did not move any. He was hurt bad. Or maybe his mind was hurt, and not his body. Yeah, that had to be it. His suit was nearly indestructible with its new upgrades...

 

Kotetsu woke up with a groan. His head hurt and his body ached, but nothing seemed to be broken. Inside this helmet he saw the countdown that usually indicated how much longer he had his power. However, the clock had been stopped, frozen at one second left. He ignored it for the time being.

  
The motorcycle he had ridden was lying on top of him. He easily could have moved it without his hundred power, and he did move it without using the power, but it was still a struggle for him. Once his legs were free, he slowly got onto his knees, and then his feet. He looked around, noticing how close he had been to falling into the ocean. Then his attention was brought to the huge blue dome that loomed in the center of the city. It was only barely visible to him, being blocked by several pillars and beams and much debris.

  
Kotetsu made his way slowly to the edge of the covered ring of the bottom level of Stern Bild. He walked with a slight limp which seemed to grow weaker the more he walked. He made it to the inner part of the ring, being out of cover from the other levels above. He gazed upon the protective dome that contained every single criminal that inhabited Stern Bild. The dome was massive, reaching from the bottom of the city to the very top, and being as wide as half on the inner ring of Stern Bild.

  
The hero made a 360° turn, taking in the spectacle that was now the center of the city, his beloved city to which he had called home for a good majority of his life. It pained him to see everything in ruin. It saddened him even. He had let this happen to his city. Now, nothing could be done to reverse the damage.

  
Kotetsu continued to walk slowly to the dome, though not directly. He was constantly distracted by crushed vehicles, crumbled statues, and, most horrifying of all, dead bodies scattered everywhere. His heart grew heavier with each new body he saw. He did not want to see any of it. Each of those bodies belonged to someone he might have been able to save if he had only researched criminal activity in the past month of waiting.

  
A flash of colorful material caught Kotetsu's eye, confusing him slightly. All he saw from a distance was a heap of colorful clothing, but the closer he got, the more he recognized the heap as yet another body. This body was different though, as it was the body of the top second league hero. Kotetsu has not known her as well, but Miss Violet had still been a friend to him when he himself was in the second league. Tears that had come to his eyes earlier now fell out of blame and mourning.

  
His knees failed and buckled, letting him fall to the debris that surrounded the second league hero's body. He turned her onto her back and held her in his arms gently. He lifted his face mask and let his tears fall on her cold body. Her eyes were still open, a haunting sight for the older hero.

  
"I'm so sorry, Miss Violet," Kotetsu choked out. "You were so young..."

  
Kotetsu closed her eyes and laid her down.

  
"You have been a great honor... To the city of Stern Bild. You will not go unavenged. I promise..."

  
Kotetsu gave her a salute, and he moved on to a nearby pillar. He leaned against it heavily and looked around. He looked above and below, below the gaping hole in the bottom of the city that exposed it to the ocean. In the distance he could hear screams from innocent people, and he heard the wicked laughs of the criminals. It made him lonely. He needed to check in with the other heroes.

  
"Blue Rose, do you read me?"

  
Static filled his helmet.

  
"Blue Rose, can you hear me?

  
Static.

  
"Fire Emblem. Dragon Kid. Can you read me?"

  
Static again.

  
"Rock Bison? Sky High?.....Origami?"

 

Still only static came through.

  
"...Agnes? Ben? Saito? Lloyds?"

  
Only one left to contact...

  
"Bunny, please... Do you read me?...Please read me..."

  
Kotetsu slid down the statue more and more with the discouraging static.

  
"Please, Bunny..."

  
Barnaby did not even answer Kotetsu's call. It took away what remaining strength he had left, and he lay on the ground next to the statue, exhausted beyond any point he had been before. He closed his eyes and let unconsciousness take him away from all he had witnessed. Even as he fell unconscious, his eyes spilled tears for his friends and family, hoping that somehow everyone was okay, that this was all a nightmare. Soon he would wake up, and there would be Tomoe waiting for him with a warm smile and open arms. Barnaby would be there too, and nothing would ever go wrong again...

 

He killed your parents...

  
The words echoed in Barnaby's mind.

  
He killed Samantha...

  
Barnaby tightened his fists.

  
He killed Maverick...

  
Barnaby grinded his teeth together.

  
Now, he's killed all your fellow heroes...

  
Barnaby tensed up.

  
It's your turn to kill, Barnaby. Kill Kotetsu Kaburagi.

  
Barnaby looked up from the chair he was sitting in and looked Travis in the eyes. His eyes were ringed with shadows and filled with hate. Travis was right, and this time, Barnaby would succeed in his mission.

  
"He will pay for what he's done to me."

  
The blonde stood and closed his eyes, his full black suit gleaming in the small amount of light in the room. He looked back at Travis with eyebrows furrowed and eyes wide.

  
"Kotetsu Kaburagi will die today by my hands!"

 

Kotetsu woke up several hours later to the sound of someone kicking around scraps of metal, searching for something or someone. He opened his eyes and tried to pinpoint where the noise came from. He spotted the figure from a distance, the black figure creeping along like a deadly predator. Slowly, Kotetsu sat up, careful not to make any noise that would draw attention to him. He thought the figure might have looked a bit familiar, but his rising level of fear prevented him from thinking much further than that about the figure.

  
It would be easier if he left his suit behind, but if he was going to continue to live, he needed to keep the suit on. So, Kotetsu began to stand up, moving at a painfully slow pace, shuffling his feet bit by bit. He was thankful that no debris had been covering him, reducing the amount of noise he made as he moved.

  
Soon he was in a crouching position, but his balance was still a bit off. He shuffled forward a bit too noisily to avoid falling on his face. Unfortunately, the figure had heard the movement.

  
Its head turned quickly to Kotetsu's direction, and Kotetsu did a few hops backwards to get on to his feet. He turned and ran as fast as he could away from the figure, who was running after him considerably faster than what Kotetsu could. The figure's black helmet glowed with only a small amount of red radiating from the eyes. It lunged at Kotetsu and caught his jaw as he turned back to look. The impact to his jaw was so forceful it cracked the suit. As the figured passed by Kotetsu, he recognized the suit design quickly.

  
"Bunny..."

  
Kotetsu took off running again as fast as he could. The annoying blue and orange haze returned to his vision as he ran. He felt like he was going faster, but he did not have the time to focus on that issue. He needed to get his pursuer off his back as soon as possible.

  
Slipping around one of the pillars, Kotetsu was slung back towards the Dark Bunny, his fists stretched out towards his corrupted friend. His fists connected with Barnaby's chest, which distracted him enough to let Kotetsu slip away without being detected. Observing from a safe distance, the brunette watched his partner shout and scream in a type of agony that he should have never been exposed to. Kotetsu had no want to stay and watch his friend, so he backed away from the edge of the inner ring on the top level of the city, and he ran off to find his fellow heroes.

  
Nightfall came faster than Kotetsu had expected. He still had not found any of his friends when he had gone halfway around the ring. The city was too quiet as he sat on the edge of the ring. He had removed his gloves and arm covers, and now he played with the silver band of metal around his finger. If Kotetsu had ever caught a glimpse of what Barnaby felt every day, this feeling was it. He did not know if any of his friends were still alive. He did not know if his mother and daughter were safe on the edge of the city. His best friend had sadly turned on him, and his wife had been long dead for several years. The city lights looked dimer and more depressing when he was alone in the world.  
Every once in a while, he could pick out where Barnaby searched for him, occasionally hearing his threatening cries. The brunette sighed heavily. To make things worse, Kotetsu's power now refused to be active at all. It had been dwindling several months before, starting after he fell into the ocean.

  
His power was truly gone. His clock was still frozen at one second, but no matter what he tried, it stayed there, never gaining or losing time. This was it. His career ended like this, in a horrible Ouroboros attack that was quickly turning out to be a permanent change for the city.

  
Silently, Kotetsu wept. After a bit, he had cried so much that he exhausted himself again, and he fell asleep there by the edge of the inner ring.

 

It was around midnight when Karina, perfectly unharmed, approached Kotetsu with Nathan. Nathan had suffered minor cuts, but for the most part he was okay. When they had seen Kotetsu, they approached cautiously, knowing that the Dark Barnaby was lurking around somewhere close.

  
Karina was the first to approach Kotetsu, carefully sitting next to him and shaking him awake. Her eyes lit up when he groaned a bit, and she shook a bit harder. Eventually, he woke up fully, excited to see at least two of his friends still alive and well.

  
"So, what's wrong with Barnaby," Karina asked after a while. "He's acting like he did a little over a year ago."

  
Kotetsu nodded. "I think we're dealing with the same thing here, but I don't think just calling him 'Bunny' is going to work this time. He's too far gone."

  
"You're his partner, Tiger. There has got to be something you can do to bring him back."

  
Kotetsu looked at Karina with tears in his eyes. "Our relationship has gotten so much stronger, and so has his mind. It'll take a miracle to bring him back to his senses."

  
"Oh, I don't believe Handsome would do this," Nathan exclaimed. "He's just got too much good in his heart."

  
Kotetsu sighed and held his head on his hands. "I'm too exhausted to think clearly."

  
"You sleep more, then," Karina said. "We'll watch out while you rest."

  
Kotetsu did not need another invitation to sleep. He collapsed backwards and fell asleep almost instantly.

 

Kotetsu was woken to a foot kicking him in the stomach with enough force to crack his bones, sending him flying for several feet at a weird angle that was not parallel to the ground. He screamed when he landed on his ankle, bending it in a very painful way, which prevented him from escaping the next attack. It came across his face hard and sent him falling over the edge of the inner ring. His eyes widened when he saw Barnaby's dark figure soar after him.

  
Right before the ground connected with Kotetsu's suit, Barnaby sent another kick flying into his stomach. It caused Kotetsu to slam into the concrete and crash into a pillar on the other side of the ring. The breath was knocked out of him, but he dove out of the way right before Barnaby's feet slammed into the pillar. Chunks of rock were sent flying in all directions, and a piece clipped Kotetsu's leg while he was half limping, half running away. He collapsed to the ground with a shout and grabbed his ankle.

  
Kotetsu made a frantic search around the area for Nathan and Karina. Neither if them were within sight, which truly did scare Kotetsu to the point that he no longer had his attention on his partner. It left him vulnerable, and the second he realized that was one second too late.

  
He was violently picked up and drop kicked in the chest. He flew for nearly 100 feet before crashing, rolling on the ground for another 100. He hardly had anytime to recover when he was picked back up and kicked yet again, this time crashing against a pillar hard enough to break it into multiple pieces. Whatever it had been supporting before crumbled down on to the hero. He cried out as his leg was suddenly filled with incredible pain that he could not fix, now that his hundred power had diminished. He wished that he could have it back for only a split second to heal himself. At this rate, he could easily die at any moment, or at least suffer a horrible injury that paralyzed him or prevented him from using his legs ever again.

  
The very upset Barnaby came stalking towards Kotetsu with determination. It was a terrifying sight to the brunette, to see his best friend in the whole world hating his guts and wanting him dead.

  
Kotetsu could not move. His leg had gone numb, his opposite ankle sporting a roaring throb. There was nothing he could do to escape the danger that Barnaby radiated in. The blonde had clearly been manipulated in his mind, but Kotetsu had to be sure his friend was not fully gone.

  
He moaned and shielded his face with his arms as Barnaby came closer.

  
"Barnaby, please... I know you aren't like this-"

  
"Shut up!" Barnaby screamed, kicking Kotetsu in the side.

  
Kotetsu screamed in pain as his body was stretched in an angle that did nothing to help his legs. He was still stuck under the debris that had fallen on him when the pillar was destroyed. He needed someone to save him, but no one was even remotely close to the area.

  
"Please, Bunny! You've been tricked, don't you see that?!"

  
Barnaby picked Kotetsu up by the throat, pulling him out of the debris violently, which produced a bloodcurdling scream of pain from the brunette.

  
"I do see that! You're the one who's tricked me!" Barnaby punched Kotetsu in the stomach, breaking through the suit easily and digging shards of metal and plexiglass into the older man's torso. Then, he dropped the hero to the ground and kicked him over and over, leaving cracks and bruises all over Kotetsu's suit and body.

  
Kotetsu thought that this surely was the end. His level of pain was so high that he could not think straight. Right as he was about to give in completely, a flash of purple and gold launched itself on Barnaby, causing him to stumble back blindly. What Kotetsu did not expect to happen was the unfurling of bright red wings, made of some microorganism or elemental particles.

  
They shaped themselves into individual, geometric sections that spread an area of at least 14 feet, each piece connected to each other by some invisible bond, and all of them held together in shape by the mind, along with some sort of programing. As big and impressive as they were, they scared the hell out of Kotetsu.

  
With a launch from a crouched position, Barnaby took after the blur, who happened to be Sky High. He chased the aerodynamic hero, using the particles of the wings skillfully to cut off Sky High's every turn. They ended up having an all out fist fight in the air when Barnaby had cut the other blonde off sharply. It was this distraction that very well could have been the event that saved Kotetsu's life.

  
Though his senses were not all with him fully, Kotetsu could feel himself being carried off to safety. He looked at his rescuers, making out the details of Fire Emblem, Blue Rose, and Origami Cyclone. Through all the commotion, he was surprised to make out one voice that he thought he'd never hear again, and it brought tears to his eyes.

  
"Daddy? Daddy are you okay?! Say something, Daddy!"

  
Kotetsu looked around frantically for his daughter. He wanted to see her so bad, wanted to hold her to make himself believe that she was still alive. He did not see her when he was initially set down on the concrete, close to the edge where the water took over as the main landscape. However, as soon as he could look more after he was sat down, he spotted her instantly, and he reached his arms out to her.

  
Kaede threw herself on to her father and hugged him tightly, sobbing as she did so. "Daddy, I thought you were dead! I was so worried!"

  
"Kaede..." Kotetsu hugged her back, despite being in pain from the embrace. He did not show it, attempting to stay strong in his daughter's eyes.

  
"Let's let him rest, Honey," Nathan said putting a hand on Kaede's shoulder.

  
Slowly and reluctantly, she let go of her father, then her eyes lit up with an idea.

  
"I just touched you, so maybe I can use your hundred power to heal you!"

  
She attempted to activate the power, yet all she came up with was Fire Emblem's power of fire. A confused look came across her face.

  
"No... I touched you last."

  
Kotetsu watched as his daughter placed her hands on his chest lightly, closer her eyes in concentration to absorb the hundred power. However, she opened her eyes again, horror now covering her face.

  
"No... No, Daddy! It isn't true! Tell me it isn't true!"

  
Kotetsu's face fell and tears welled up in his eyes.

  
"Try to power up!"

  
Try as he did, his power did not come. His tears rolled down his cheeks as he embraced his crying child.

  
"No, Daddy..."

  
Kaede sobbed on her father's chest, the three other heroes present letting tears of their own fall to the ground. It was hard for Kotetsu to accept the fact, just like it was hard for Mr. Legend.

  
"It's gone..."

  
Kaede clutched her father's suit tightly and cried harder.

  
"It's really gone..."

  
Just like that, Kotetsu no longer was a NEXT. His power truly was gone for good.

 

Meanwhile, Sky High was trying his best to keep Barnaby at bay in their fist fight. He had been surprised to see the wings appear, and he knew that whatever happened next was going to happen in the air. And in the air it did happen.

  
Barnaby's explosive attacks were hard to block, but each counterattack made by Sky High was just as strong. The two duked it out for quite some time, one of Barnaby's attacks dislodging the helmet of the other blonde. This, of course, ticked Sky High off, because you never uncovered the identity of any hero ever. Keith threw punch after punch at Barnaby, his face crumpled up in pure rage. After a few more punches, the slightly younger blonde moved above Sky High, coming down hard on the hero with a kick to the shoulder.

  
Keith cried out as his shoulder became dislocated. It hung limp for a while as the blonde moved to avoid Barnaby's attacks. Finally, he was fed up with the pain, and the aerodynamic hero twisted his shoulder, then pushed as hard as he could, the shoulder relocating with a loud pop. Once it was back in place, Keith was ready to attack again, and he slammed his fist into Barnaby's helmet. It cracked and broke into thousands of pieces that fell away to reveal Barnaby's raged and ticked off expression.  
The corrupted Barnaby shouted and punched Keith in the face, giving him a bloody nose. He screamed in pain, but quickly recovered to return the punch, accelerated by his wind powers and connected to Barnaby's stomach.

  
Keith rocketed upwards and hovered several feet above Barnaby, waiting for the other blonde to come for another attack. He gathered together a ball of highly compressed air and held it in place for Barnaby to soar up into. The trap worked, and Barnaby was sent careening towards the ground, landing with a loud crash and a shout. However, he hopped right back up and launched himself at Keith. He flipped his body around and connected his foot to Sky High's stomach.

  
The attack left Sky High breathless, yet he trucked on nonetheless. Barnaby was not going to be escaping without going down first. The hero hung in the air for a bit, holding an arm over his stomach briefly. Then, once he had gained enough strength, he shouted and rocketed to Barnaby. He threw his whole weight against the other blonde, and continued to throw punches at Barnaby's face.

  
With another shout, Sky High's power elevated to a new point in which he had never experienced before in his career. His extra boost shot Barnaby down and towards the ground at blazing speeds. Keith followed through with a double hit to the other blonde's torso. The concrete below them shattered by the high-speed impact, and both fell to the water below.

  
They did not stop until they actually went below the surface of the water. Keith exploded out of the water, chasing Barnaby as he did so. They swooped and dove, flipped and looped around the pillars of the city, soaring so quickly that they very easily could have broken the sound barrier if they tried to do so.

  
Barnaby made the mistake of looking back at his pursuer, catching another condensed ball of super-powered air in the jaw. He shouted with rage and rocketed upwards, activating his hundred power. He soared directly up, no angle or arc to speak of. With the activation of his power, Barnaby was slowly pulling away from Keith.

  
Sky High was going to have none of that.

  
Another spike in his power came and sent him upwards at speeds he had never reached, his hair blowing back and creating a sort of shield for his eyes. Both blondes were going incredibly fast, so fast that particles of Barnaby's wings were being torn from their formation. They fell to Sky High, and to his surprise, they became caught in his force of power, forming a sort of mask around his eyes. And not only did they take up his part of the fight, but they even changed to purple as they became in tune with his power. Soon the mask was completed, and Keith pushed himself faster with a roar.

  
Keith caught hold of Barnaby's foot and yanked hard, plucking the other blonde out of the air and sending him falling back towards the earth. For a split second, the two exchanged their angered glances, and Sky High roared as he tore more particles away from Barnaby with his speed. The new particles gathered around his legs and arms, forming fins that helped him slice through the air faster. More formed high-speed-wind protective gloves around his hands, and he screamed with the connection of power he suddenly had. It was enough to make Barnaby realized he needed to escape, to find Kotetsu again and end the pathetic excuse of a man's life.

  
Barnaby angled his fall and began a descent to where Kotetsu was in safety for the moment. The thought of tearing the old man to shreds motivated him to move quicker.  
Keith noted the change in speed and followed close behind. He reached out to grab Barnaby's foot again, and when he did manage to grab it, he yanked hard, pulling the other blonde off his flight path violently. The top level of the city raced towards the two faster as they struggled to get the correct position in order to fly.

  
The glance of pure hatred that Barnaby shot Keith sent goosebumps over the slightly older blonde's skin. He roared and shoved Barnaby hard, making them both fall even faster, but, being the crafty type, Barnaby slipped out from under Keith.

  
He pushed himself off the other blonde, causing Keith to slam into a nearby pillar. It created enough time for Barnaby to rocket to the other side of the city where Kotetsu was located. He could pinpoint exactly where the older man was, and he chose his flight path carefully so he could grab Kotetsu with the least amount of obstruction by the architecture of the city's different levels.

  
Keith quickly recovered and desperately searched for Barnaby, catching sight of him above the city as he looped around, preparing to dive to the bottom level. The older blonde shook his head and caught up to Barnaby right as he descended below the top ring. He pulled up right beside the younger blonde and punched him squarely in the kidney. It threw Barnaby off his flight path, but he got right back on it faster than Keith had expected.

  
Barnaby pulled up suddenly, soaring into the shelter of the middle level of Stern Bild. He rocketed around the level, Keith right on his tail. The older blonde could tell Barnaby was getting weaker, as his hundred power was running out, yet he still had at least two minutes left.

  
Realizing this, Barnaby went even faster, taking an off ramp to reach the bottom level. Keith's adrenaline pumped faster through his blood the closer they got to Kotetsu. The blonde balled his fists and rocketed faster through the air. He had wanted to keep Kotetsu's location unknown, but when his power had spiked, it had given Barnaby the option to get away and find the brunette.

  
Kotetsu's location was coming into view. Keith's eyes widened as Barnaby pulled back slightly and revealed his grappling hook, and the older blonde shouted to warn his friends.

  
Origami Cyclone was the first to look up and see the two flying men. He grabbed Blue Rose and Fire Emblem and pulled them out of the way, then he grabbed Kaede right as Barnaby shot his grappling hook at Kotetsu. All the heroes shouted desperately at their older friend, who was struggling to escape.

  
Kotetsu watched the grappling hook wrap around his torso as Barnaby flew over, Keith right behind him. The brunette's vision was taken over by the orange and blue haze once more, making his eyes flash bright blue for the shortest amount of time. He screamed as his body left the ground and was hauled closer to the dark figure that was Barnaby. Being pulled through the incredible amount of wind, Kotetsu grimaced and screamed in pain. He could feel his suit being torn away painfully from his broken body. He did not know how much longer it would be before Barnaby did something to him.

  
Keith threw several punches at Barnaby, making him wobble about in the air. Barnaby was fed up with the annoying hero, and he produced a sword-like weapon from his arm, jabbing it at Sky High, and then cut through the wire connected to the grappling hook.

  
Sky High screamed as Kotetsu fell to the ground. He chased after the younger blonde in desperation, slicing through the air faster to reach Kotetsu before Barnaby did. Miraculously, Keith did reach Kotetsu before Barnaby, and he caught the brunette like Barnaby had done so many times before. He carried Kotetsu away to the other side of the city, hoping to get away from the monster chasing him. Unfortunately, he had not escaped fast enough, and his foot was clipped violently, sending him and Kotetsu crashing onto the road that the similar event a year previously had occurred.

  
Both heroes rolled across the top of the asphalt for several feet. The impact had injured both of them, Keith left with a leg broken in at least three different places, and Kotetsu lying face down with most of his suit gone and his body bleeding from several places.

  
Barnaby landed in between Keith and Kotetsu. He stalked over to Keith and stabbed the the hero in the shoulder, blood splattering everywhere. The other blonde shrieked and grabbed his shoulder, watching Barnaby pull the weapon out and stalk back over to Kotetsu. He turned the brunette on to his back and kicked his face with a frustrated scream.  
Kotetsu could only grunt at the kick. He cracked his eyes open as best as he could to see Barnaby tear off his broken helmet and stare him down as he closed the distance between them. Their eyes never wavered away from each other, Kotetsu hoping that it would make Barnaby snap back to reality. It did not seem to work as the blonde now stood directly over Kotetsu.

  
Barnaby produced another sword from his other arm, Kotetsu quickly recognizing them to be similar to the one that H-01 had possessed. His breathing quickened as the harsh glare from Barnaby somehow became more harsh. The next thing he knew was roaring pain in his shoulders, both swords dug deep into them and dug into the asphalt as well, holding him in place. He felt the need to speak at least once before Barnaby did anything else.

  
"Bar...naby... Please, man... Come to your senses..."

  
"I'll come to my senses once you're dead, you ungrateful murdering monster!"

  
"You know I didn't kill anyone, Barnaby!"

  
"You murdered my parents!"

  
"No!"

  
"Samantha!"

  
"No, Barnaby!"

  
"Maverick and all my friends!"

  
"I didn't kill anyone, Barnaby! I would never kill anybody!"

  
"Quit saying my name like you know me!"

  
"I do know you! We've had so many memories together, and you've forgotten about them all!" By this point, Kotetsu was sobbing as he yelled at his friend.

  
"I've never made any memories with you, you monster. The only memory I have of you is of the night you murdered my parents!"

  
"I never murdered your parents, Barnaby!"

  
"You liar!"

  
"I didn't, Bunny! I didn't kill them!"

  
"Shut up!"

  
"Bunny, PLEASE!"

  
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Barnaby kicked Kotetsu hard the jaw, tough it did not break it surprisingly. The blonde was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide open, eyes still glowing electric blue with 40 seconds left of power. He continued to pant as he produced two more swords, each one smaller than the other two. He held them dangerously close to Kotetsu's face.

  
Kotetsu looked back up at his corrupted friend with tears streaming down his face steadily. He wanted so badly to remove his mask so Barnay could see his true identity. Maybe that would jog his memory.

  
At about that time, Kaede and the rest of the heroes, including Rock Bison and Dragon kid, arrived at the place of the potential killing of Kotetsu. Kaede screamed as she was held back from running to her father.

  
Kotetsu cried silently even more when he heard his daughter's scream. He sighed and closed his eyes as Barnaby connected the two swords together and held them over his head, preparing to bring them down on Kotetsu.

  
"Bunny," Kotetsu said quietly. "I tried my best to bring you back. I've done all I can, but you still don't remember."

  
"Shut the hell up, murderer!"

  
"Just let me say this last thing, Barnaby."

  
The blonde glared and waited for him to speak his final words.

  
"I know you've been alone for most of your life, and I know what that feels like, especially after I lost Tomoe. But... I want you to know this."

  
He took a deep, shaky breath as he continued to cry. "Ever since we became partners, I cared for you. I always have, Barnaby."

  
"SH-SHUT UP!"

  
"Even if you kill me, I want you to know this, Bunny..."

  
Kotetsu choked on his tears. "Never forget... Don't you ever forget... That when no one loved you-"

  
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

  
"When you had nobody to love, Barnaby! When nobody wanted to love you! I... I..."

  
Barnaby shook his head and screamed. "You've never loved me! YOU'VE NEVER LOVED ME, KOTETSU!"

  
"I've always loved you, Barnaby!"

  
"I'VE NEVER LOVED YOU!" Barnaby brought the sword higher over his head and screamed as he brought it down fast and hard.

  
Kotetsu closed his eyes and waited for the sword. After a few seconds, he reopened them, the blade inches away from his heart. Barnaby was staring at him, horrified with tears streaming down his face, his eyes wide and back to their normal green.

  
"Kotetsu..."

  
"Barnaby..."

  
The blonde dropped his sword on the ground next to Kotetsu and stepped back, horrified by what he had done to his best friend.

  
"Kotetsu... Did... Did I...?"

  
Kaede came running over to her father, crying and shouting at Barnaby.

  
"Get away from him! Stay away from my dad!"

  
Barnaby backed away with tears making streaks down his dirt covered face. He could not believe he had almost killed Kotetsu, and Keith as well, noticing the blonde hero as he backed away. He crouched down and helped Sky High sit up, grimacing at the hole in his shoulder.

  
"So... You finally came to?"

  
Barnaby could not even look his friend in the eyes. "Sky.... I'm so sorry..."

  
Keith smiled and patted Barnaby on the back. "Go to Kaede and explain what happened."

  
Barnaby looked at the crying girl desperately trying to pull the swords out of her father's body. He shook his head and slowly got up, moving cautiously to his best friend.

  
"Kaede..."

  
"Go away!"

  
"Please, Kaede, my memory was altered! I never meant to hurt your father... I'd never want to hurt Kotetsu..."

  
Barnaby collapsed to his knees beside Kotetsu and gently began to pull away the swords. It took several minutes before they could easily slide out. They did come out eventually, which was a relief to Barnaby.

  
Once Kaede allowed him to approach her father, he threw his arms around Kotetsu, bawling like he never done before. He buried his face in the brunette's neck and cried his heart out. He pleaded over and over for Kotetu to forgive him for what he did, saying he never meant to harm him ever.

  
After a bit, Barnaby pulled back, his eyebrows set low over his eyes and rage filling them once more. "Travis will pay for what he did."

  
Barnaby picked Kotetu up and began walking in the direction of the hospital. He was determined to get his friend to safety and care. He was not about to let his friend die on him.

  
Rock Bison went over to Sky High and picked up the injured hero, carrying him in the same fashion as Barnaby carried Kotetsu, and they too headed in the direction of the hospital. The particles that had stuck to Keith remained connected to their new power source, and Keith accepted them as a new addition to his suit. May be it was time for his identity to be known to the public. He really could get used to the new mask.

  
Kotetsu hung limp in Barnaby's arms, hurting a great deal physically, but mentally he was healed, and it put him at peace, the rocking motion of Barnaby's walking pushing his tiredness further, and eventually it lulled him into unconsciousness. He leaned against Barnaby's chest as he slept, a small smile spread across his lips, content that he finally had his partner back.


	7. The Thousand Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff! And the ending is just so.... I don't even know! I cried through writing pretty much all of this chapter. But it was so worth it! Hope you liked this fanfiction!
> 
> Enjoy!

Chapter 7: The Thousand Power

For what shape the city was in, the hospital was surprisingly tidy. Normal, daily occurances happened as if the city had not been taken over by criminals. It made for a pleasant recovery for Keith and Kotetsu.

  
The two heroes had been placed next to each other for company. Barnaby did constantly stop in to check on them, but he could not be there all the time. He already had issues with Travis since he regained his memories.

  
Barnaby was having a considerably rough time, blaming himself for hurting Kotetsu as much as he did. Most of his time spent at the hospital was by Kotetsu's side, though the brunette was almost always unconscious. Often times, Barnaby would sit in a chair next to the bed and talk to Kotetsu about how he wished he could reverse what had happened. He admitted to his partner that he had begun to remember when Keith had caught Kotetsu the way the blonde always did. It was a tough decision to ignore the slight remembrance during the fight.

  
Keith would talk to Barnaby when Kotetsu was asleep. They talked about the severity of Kotetsu's injuries, as well as Keith's. Keith, however, had not suffered as bad as Kotetsu, who had internal bleeding, several broken bones, torn muscle tissue, and torn tendons. Keith was lucky and only suffered a broken leg and torn muscles in his shoulder.

  
For Barnaby, this whole Ouroboros incident was his fault. If he had not have fussed over Travis, none of this would have happened. He felt completely responsible for the mess.  
The fourth day Barnaby came to the hospital, he was especially emotional. Kotetsu had fallen into unconsciousness the day before in the middle of a casual conversation. It scared Barnaby, and he hoped that Kotetsu would be awake the next time he visited. To his disappointment, Kotetsu was still passed out. He had a lot of things on his mind to say, and with Kotetsu not being awake, he felt like he might burst if he did not talk. He did not especially want to talk to Keith. The things on his mind were more personal and intimate towards Kotetsu.

  
Keith was asleep when Barnaby entered the room. He sighed in relief and pulled up his chair next to Kotetsu. The brunette was breathing steadily, despite being in a slight coma. His face was relaxed and healed for the most part. As Barnaby sat, he noticed Kotetsu's hand sticking out from under the sheets. He debated whether to hold it or not. It was his left hand, so the band of cool metal on the brunette's ring finger was there. The blonde did not want to say that the ring intimidated him. It was, after all, Kotetsu's wedding ring, binding his heat to Tomoe for life. But, every time Barnaby would go to hold that hand, he would feel the ring and he would be slightly jealous. He tried not to be. Tomoe had gotten to Kotetsu first, so she had the right to put the ring on his finger. Still, Barnaby was jealous.

  
He did not want to replace Tomoe. It felt wrong just thinking of doing it. Barnaby knew Tomoe had priority. He was just a step behind. He always seemed to be one step behind, and it was this thought that brought the blonde to tears. He stared at the ring through blurred eyesight. His mind told him to leave the ring alone, to forget about it and just hold the older man's hand anyway. His heart said to take the ring away and hold Kotetsu's hand tightly. He was torn between the two options. He could not just dishonor Tomoe like that. It was comparable to if someone vandalized his parents' graves. But he felt desperate. He felt lost.

  
He hoped Tomoe could forgive him.

  
Barnaby's hand shook as he held the ring in it and held Kotetsu's rough hand with the other. The thought crossed his mind to put his own ring on Kotetsu's finger. It looked like it would fit, and Kotetsu's hand looked blank without a ring.

  
He refused to put his ring on Kotetsu's finger. It would be going too far too quickly, and he was sure Kotetsu would not be happy with that. They had gone too far too quickly before, and the brunette had been the one to suffer from it.

  
The blonde gasped and sat rigid when his hand was squeezed lightly. His attention was directed towards Kotetsu's face as the older man moaned. He grimaced and opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times before opening them fully.

  
"You didn't have to wait to ask..." He croaked out.

  
"Wh-what," Barnaby inquired quietly, tears building up in his eyes.

  
"Your ring..."

  
Barnaby looked down at both rings, confused on which one Kotetsu meant. Of course, Kotetsu's wedding ring was not his, but he still hesitated, wanting to put both on Kotetsu's finger.

  
"I... I can't... I don't understand-"

  
"Barnaby, just put your ring on my finger."

  
He still hesitated. "Do... You want both?"

  
Kotetsu shot Barnaby an annoyed look.

  
"Okay, okay..." Barnaby took off his own ring and slipped it onto his friend's slender finger. It was like a load was taken off his shoulders, and he felt guilty for feeling that way.  
"You and Tomoe are connected," Kotetsu said. "She understands, Bunny. You need to be strong like she was."

  
Barnaby looked into Kotetsu's eyes, seeing a true passion that he rarely saw from the older man. His spirit seemed to lift the more he looked, and the more he looked, the more he saw Tomoe in his partner's eyes. But it was his reflection that he saw, not Tomoe's. Barnaby stood with sharp intake of breath, his power threatening to take over at any moment. He saw Tomoe in the reflection, and he knew that he really was connected to the deceased woman.

  
"Kotetsu... I... I won't let Travis take over me again. He won't get his way so long as I'm alive." He grasped Kotetsu's hand tight, and Kotetsu held out his other hand for his wedding ring. Once he had it, he commanded Barnaby to hold his left hand out. He did as he was told.

  
"I never want you out of my life, Bunny. Before you arrived, I felt so lonely for too long. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you now. It's been such a wild ride so far, and I don't expect it to end for a while. So long as I'm alive and well, we will be partners in justice and in friendship. Barnaby Brooks Junior, will you take this ring as a symbol of our bond, that it will never break through all we are thrust into, and that you will stick by my side in good and bad times? Will you be mine to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, and until death do we part?"

  
Barnaby could not hold back his tears anymore. He had no idea why he was crying, but he loved how it felt. He supported himself on the bed with his right hand as he looked at Kotetsu. He took a while to respond because of how overwhelmed he felt by the proposal.

  
"Kotetsu... Yes. Yes, Kotetsu! I will!"

  
Kotetsu slipped the ring onto Barnaby's ring finger, a perfect fit for the blonde. The brunette sat up as best as he could before he was surrounded by warm arms. He could not help but chuckle.

 

"You acted just like Tomoe when I asked her. I'm disappointed I didn't see the similarity of you two sooner."

  
Barnaby hugged Kotetsu tighter, perhaps a little tighter than he should have, but he did not care. All he cared about was that he and Kotetsu were going to be together for the rest of their lives. It made him so happy that he could barely think straight.

  
After a while, they ended the hug. Barnaby stood back up fully, looking at the ring, his ring, with a new affection. This ring, once belonging to Tomoe's heart, was his now. He acknowledged the fact that Kotetsu was still bonded to Tomoe, but now he himself was connected to Tomoe. It was weird, but he felt as if her spirit strengthened him. Silently, he thanked her, praising her for preparing Kotetsu for all that he had gone through. The older man was a hero through and through, putting himself out of the way to protect the ones he loved.

  
"Tomoe... How strong was she?"

  
"She was the strongest woman you would ever meet. Her heart was three times as big as she was. She makes you stronger, and that's why I gave you my ring. Her spirit resides in that ring, and you needed to experience what it's like to have her with you."

  
"But, you didn't want it?"

  
"Having your ring is all I need to know that Tomoe is okay with this. I felt it for sure a few months ago when my power started going haywire again."

  
Barnaby's eyes dimmed slightly. "How's your power now?"

  
Kotetsu looked down at his sheets, playing with his new ring. "My power... It's..." He sighed heavily and swallowed back tears. "It's gone..."

  
The blonde reeled back in alarm. There was just no way it could have been true."

  
"B-but... It was doing fine a month ago!"

 

Kotetsu shook his head. "It was wearing out before that."

  
"Why didn't you tell me, Kotetsu?!"

  
"There was no point in telling you. It was going anyways, and we couldn't stop it. You know that."

  
Barnaby collapsed into the chair and covered his face in frustration. His shoulders shook slightly.

  
"It's not fair. We were so close to finishing this whole thing. Now, you don't have your power."

  
Kotetsu grabbed his head and grimaced. His eyesight was taken over by the orange and blue haze again. He held his head tighter as the haze increased.

  
When it was gone, he looked back at Barnaby. "We'll get through this, with or without my power. Just because I'm not a NEXT anymore doesn't mean I'm not a hero."  
"You're in no condition to fight crime, Tiger," came Keith's voice from beside Kotetsu. "It would take a miracle for you to be healed in time."

  
"I could heal you," Barnaby said, looking up.

  
Kotetsu shook his head. "You can't heal me. Only those like Kaede can heal others. NEXT like her can stretch the laws of the powers they gain."

  
"Then let's get Kaede."

  
"No, Barnaby, I will not have her get in the middle of this hell we're going through! I'm not going to lose her!" Kotetsu had a face of determination that sent chills down Barnaby's spine.

  
"Well, I'm not going to lose you, Kotetsu!" Barnaby grabbed Kotetsu's arms and pulled his torso closer to his own. "You said we were going to get through this together, and I'm taking your word for it. I'm not giving up on you, and I sure as hell am not going to let you die on me!"

  
"Then get out there and find Travis." Kotetsu sat up painfully and hooked his left hand around his friend's neck. "Get out there and make that bastard pay for what he did to you and I. He deserves to die for what he-" Kotetsu grimaced and shouted, seeing intense blue and orange haze everywhere, and he fell back closing his eyes.

  
"Kotetsu!" Keith exclaimed as Barnaby fell with Kotetsu.

  
The brunette sucked in breaths through his teeth. His chest heaved painfully, and he took in a deep breath before continuing.

  
"Go, Bunny... Make him know our pain..."

  
Barnaby watched as his friend passed out once more, and he shook his head. His face was crumpled into an expression of hurt and rage. His eyes betrayed the fear he felt when thinking of confronting Travis.

  
Slowly, the blonde leaned forward, aware that Keith was watching, and placed a small kiss on Kotetsu's lips.

  
"I will, Kotetsu."

  
Keith tilted his head and watched Barnaby stand back up. Suddenly the call bracelets sounded their alarms, and Barnaby went running out of the room. Keith was left alone with Kotetsu, wondering what exactly was going on between the partners.

  
"Agnes, it's Barnaby," the blonde said as he ran out of the hospital and jumped onto a motorcycle he'd had found downtown, since his had been lost in the fall over the edge of the road.

  
"Good, we need you. That Travis guy is up to something in the center of the city. Get there now."

  
"I'm on it."

  
With that, Barnaby raced to the center of Stern Bild. He was worried over the fact that he did not have a suit to fight in. His old one was lost someplace only Travis knew, and the full black suit was not reliable while in use. He needed a suit if he was going to fight Travis.

  
The Apollon Media supply van pulled up next the Barnaby and opened it's side door, revealing Saito wearing a huge smile.

  
"We've got you a suit," the small man shouted. "It's made of the same stuff your wings were on the Dark suit, only denser. Hold still and it'll attach to you!"

  
Barnaby nodded and continued on, feeling the suit begin to form on his legs. It moved up to his knees and thighs, looking like something out of a science fiction film as it crawled up his torso and neck, spreading to his arms and forming a tight shell in which the helmet filled up. Every part of the suit locked into place and the face panel of the helmet slammed down with a hiss of air.

  
"This suit regenerates a part that has been damaged, so you never have to worry about it if it breaks!"

  
The suit lit up when it became in sync with Barnaby's power, the green parts of it glowing especially bright. It was much like the one that Barnaby had when he gained all his new sponsors, having the colors of both he and his partner. It was what made the two heroes stand out as the best hero team to ever walk the face of the earth.

  
"Saito, this suit is amazing! How'd you do it?"

  
"Easy! The particles that Travis used were chemical based, therefore they were attracted to energy. A NEXT like you who has the hundred power is highly attractive to the particles, so all I needed to do was strengthen them a bit. And voila! New suit material!"

  
Barnaby smirked and sped forward, getting on an off ramp that led to the road on the outer edge of Stern Bild. He looked towards the center of the city to see a figure floating above the huge dome that took up most of the inner ring. It looked like the figure was waiting for something. Maybe the figure was Travis, and maybe he was waiting for Barnaby.

  
He planned your parent's murder...

  
"Agnes, I'm in position."

  
He planned Samantha's death...

  
"Hold tight for a bit, Barnaby."

  
He planned Maverick to alter his memories...

  
The blonde circled the city several times.

  
He planned to use your memories to make you attack your friends...

  
"Go for the attack, Barnaby!"

  
He planned for you to kill your partner...

  
The blonde pulled the throttle all the way back and positioned himself to launch off a ramp.

  
He didn't succeed, Barnaby.

  
The tires flew off the pavement towards the man radiating with power.

  
You were stronger, Barnaby, because of me, and because of Kotetsu.

  
The motorcycle fell away from Barnaby, the rockets on his back propelling him forward to the man who nearly ruined it all for him.

  
For your thanks earlier, you're welcome, Barnaby.

  
The wind blew between each particle as Barnaby soared towards Travis. He felt at peace as he flew.

  
His eyes closed...

  
And all he could hear...

  
Was Kotetsu's laugh in the distance...

 

A bright, warm image of a hill filled his mind. On it sat two people, enjoying the warm sunlight as they sat next to a tree. Their faces became clear, being Kotetsu and Tomoe. Both looked back at Barnaby. Tomoe grabbed his hand gently and pulled him to the place where she had been sitting. She soon disappeared, and the two friends were left on the hill, smiling and laughing, soaking up the warm sunshine. They looked at each other, and they leaned closer. They embraced and leaned against one another, content, happy, and finally, after what seemed like forever, finally they were at peace...

 

Barnaby came back to reality with a scream that was almost super sonic, and his fists slammed into the chest of the man whom he hated with his entire being. The power surrounding the two NEXT swirled about like dust. NEXT powers never behaved that way, and Barnaby realized that it was not power that surrounded them, but particles that were attracted to power.

  
Travis fell for several feet before catching himself and rocketing back towards Barnaby. He stretched his arms out towards the blonde, shooting out a great multitude of lightning bolts, Dragon Kid's power. Following the lightning were blasts of cold ice that tore through Barnaby's suit, Blue Rose's power.

  
The attacks were strong, abnormally strong. They threw Barnaby off his train of thought, and he fell to the ground. He was lucky enough to regain himself to land properly in the center of the city, just outside the dome of energy, or maybe it was made of the particles that swirled above. Barnaby decided to find out himself as Travis dove after him. The blonde slipped through the wall of the dome easily, amazed at what he saw once inside.

  
The glowing blue particles that had made up the entire outside of the dome were everywhere inside as well. They covered buildings and roads, everything being covered in them as far as he could tell. He did not have much time to admire the strange beauty of it all, as Travis was right on his tail. Barnaby had the smart idea to use the particles to his advantage.

  
When Travis entered the dome, Barnaby directed a large cluster of the particles at the NEXT. It hit Travis in the stomach, to which the green-haired man redirected towards Barnaby.

  
The blonde has not seen the attack, and he was hit squarely in the back, knocking him to the ground. Particles were sent flying in all directions. It was hard to see around them because there were so many. Barnaby was glad when they cleared slightly, but his glee was short lived when he saw the particle-created wings that radiated from Travis. They were blood red in color, and yet they still glowed, glowing a sick black color.

  
Barnaby scrambled to his feet and ran away, his fear showing greatly, causing the particles around him to turn yellow. His trail was followed by the villainous NEXT, which motivated him to move faster. No matter what maneuvers he tried, Barnaby could not escape from Travis.

  
It was time to turn the tables to Barnaby's side.

  
Barnaby activated his power and ran towards a building at full speed. He jumped and planted his feet on the wall, then he closed his eyes and ran up focusing all his energy on collecting the particles around him. They strung together and turned a shade of green to form a glove over Barnaby's right hand, the hand that Kotetsu's good luck mode affected. With a shout, the blonde jumped off the wall and dove towards Travis. The criminal met him halfway and threw a punch at the blonde's jaw. The attack prevented Barnaby from making his, and all the gained particles were adsorbed to Travis. The green-haired man landed on top of the building, his wings now larger and more apt to injure.

  
Barnaby landed on the ground hard. He panted as his suit reminded him he had only one minute left of his power. The tables had not been turned. They needed to be. It was the only way Barnaby would be able to defeat Travis.

 

It's time for a Wild Bunny Roar...

 

Barnaby gathered up his energy and placed his feet at a dynamic angle. He threw his head back and let loose a roar that was so powerful it shook the very foundations of the buildings around him.

 

Kotetsu woke suddenly and clutched his head. He screamed as the haze took over again...

 

Travis lost his balance and fell to the ground, particles coming loose from his wings. He hit the ground hard, and he had a foot connect to his side as Barnaby kicked him hard. He was sent flying for several hundred feet. More particles flew away from him as he rolled, grunting when he came to a rest. The man's wings were pathetic looking by the time he had stopped losing the particles. However, that did not stop him from getting up and rushing at Barnaby, planting his fist firmly in the blonde's stomach, his fist enlarged as if in good luck mode.

 

Kotetsu screamed again, eyes wide with fear and hurt. He did not know what was going on around him. The haze was too strong now. He suspected this was what it was like for Barnaby when he had his meltdowns...

 

Barnaby skidded backwards, his feet catching on debris and sending him tumbling. He came to a rest just at the wall of the dome. Though there were plenty of particles around him, his suit was not fixing itself like it should have been. The blonde could see his red jacket underneath, and he looked up at Travis, who was stalking towards him with a wicked smirk.

  
"Give up while you're still alive," the villain shouted.

  
He was absorbing particles from Barnaby's suit from over 100 feet away. He was stronger than Barnaby was, which was not good for the hero.

  
Barnaby tried to hold on to his suit for as long as he could, but his power counted down to the last five seconds. When his power was gone, the whole suit detached from his body and was sucked on to Travis. The man laughed, now clad in Barnaby's suit with the dark, immense wings.

  
"You've got nowhere to hide now." Travis's form slowly changed before Barnaby's eyes to the look of Kotetsu. The suit now looked like H-01, and the face was that of the older man.

  
"Give up," said Kotetsu's voice. "Little Bunny."

 

Kotetsu sat up fully, screaming things incoherent to even himself. He had no idea that several nurses and doctors had arrived to calm him down. His whole body hurt, he felt a strange pulse coursing through his body that was foreign to him, yet somehow he had experienced it before. The question was when...

 

Barnaby shook his head repeatedly. His heart said this was not Kotetsu. His mind was questioning whether it really was or not. Confusion and terror filled his whole being. He did not know who to trust once more. The ring on his finger told him the answer, but his mind said otherwise. His heart rang true, but his mind played a bad tune that left a bitter reaction.

  
The blonde was backed against a building, Travis moving him towards a memory trap that would go off as soon as he had another meltdown. Pressure was the key, and enough of it would send the blonde off the edge.

  
"You don't really believe I love you," Kotetsu's voice said.

  
Barnaby shook his head again, shouting when Travis attacked him with a punch.

  
"That ring on your finger? It means nothing."

 

Kotetsu managed to rip away all his life support tubes and IV drips in his outburst. He needed to get out of there, to help Barnaby. He knew his friend was in trouble, but how would he be able to do anything? He himself was in trouble. He clutched his heart and screamed again, his eyes flashing between their normal color and the haze colors of orange and blue. Whatever was going to happen, it was not going to be pretty...

 

"Liar!" Barnaby was trying his best to remember the truth about Kotetsu. His friend really did care for him, and the ring meant all the world to him.  
"You don't get it do you? I did kill your parents. Samantha and Maverick, all your friends are gone. They're dead, Bunny."

  
Barnaby growled. "I know that's not true! And don't call me Bunny!" The blonde body slammed Travis as best as he could. Unfortunately, he's was knocked down hard by the criminal, his face greeting the concrete not even ten seconds after the words had left his mouth. Several punches to the stomach were made in rapid succession, followed by a ball of wind sending him flying into the side of a building.

  
The unstable building crumbled and fell due to the force of the impact. Barnaby could have sworn he heard his bones crack.

 

Kotetsu now recognized where the odd feeling had come from. It was the same feeling he had the day his hundred power had arose. His stomach felt like butterflies, and he shook as he jumped out of the bed. He fell immediately to the tile, several nurses attempting to get him back into the bed. He refused with much effort, and stood again, legs bent slightly as his body spasmed and convulsed with the strange feeling. His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape and yelling at his pain...

 

Barnaby slumped to the ground after being thrown into a nearby pillar. He did not know how much more he could take before he gave in. Already, his body had gone past its limit. Bruises and cuts were scattered all over his battered body. His legs were too weak to support him, thus he was able to be thrown about with ease.

  
Travis was creating clones of himself and sending them to all sides of Barnaby, each one resembling the friend that he held so dearly to him. The clones continued to move ever closer, and they attacked him with fire, ice, wind, rocks, anything that was available to them. Barnaby was pushed down to his stomach. His clothes were ripped and bloodstained. He was crying because he knew his partner could not help him escape the torment he felt.

  
He was attacked by all the clones at once and was thrown out of the dome to the edge of the inner ring. He landed on his side and rolled until a statue halted him abruptly. The pain he felt was over the limit of what he could handle, and he let loose a scream for help that could not have been timed more perfectly.

  
"KOTETSU!!!"

 

The brunette stood up fully and exploded in a brilliant blue light of sudden power with a roar, his injuries healing instantly and his strength coming back to him a thousandfold. He looked at his hands, eyes still wide.

  
The nurses and doctors stared at Kotetsu in wonder. Even Keith was staring at him, amazed at what he just witnessed.

  
With a determined look, Kotetsu crouched, then ran off at blistering speeds not possible when he had his hundred power. Wearing only his black pants and dress shoes, Kotetsu ran as fast as he could to reach Barnaby, and when he did arrive on the scene, he jumped over the edge of the inner ring and landed on Travis with a roar.

  
The two duked it out furiously, punches being thrown repeatedly and skillfully. The renewed Kotetsu was not happy in the slightest, and he was fast too. He wasted no time in throwing around different attacks, gaining the top enough to swipe Travis's feet out from under him.

  
The criminal landed on his back hard and most of the particles around him were sucked to Kotetsu. He used the particles to create his suit around him, then he grabbed Travis by the neck and kicked him as hard as he could. The criminal righted himself before he hit anything and gathered more particles to create the H-01 suit around him. The two stood there, ready for attack, and Travis decided to talk trash before making his move.

  
"You know, Barnaby doesn't really believe in that ring of yours."

  
'Well apparently neither do you," Kotetsu said acidly, and he threw himself at Travis with speeds that surprised even himself. His power spiked, causing his eyes to go white, and a strong punch was connected to the criminal's chest, sending him flying into the dome and out the other side.

  
"You see, it's not the ring that makes Barnaby stronger." Kotetsu jumped to the top of the dome and slid down the other side to reach Travis.

  
"It's the fact that the ring belongs to me that makes him stronger!"

  
Kotetsu's foot landed in Travis's chest and cracked the particles apart. He did not move quick enough to catch Travis before he slipped away into the dome. Kotetsu followed, determined to find Travis before he could hurt Barnaby any more. He realized he was too late for that when he heard Barnaby's scream of agony.

  
Kotetsu was at the sight in a heartbeat and tackled Travis from behind with a shout.

  
"I believe you're the one who doesn't understand the situation." A punch was thrown, and he let the criminal run. "When you attack my friends, I get mad." A burst of energy shot Kotetsu towards Travis and shoved him against one of the many walls of the inner ring. He let the man fall to the ground. "When you try to kill my best friend, I get pretty persistent..." He grabbed Travis by the neck and jumped as high as he could. "And when I'm persistent, you can never defeat me!"

  
Kotetsu rocketed Travis down to the dome, following with his hands still on the man's neck. They hit the top of the dome with an incredible amount of force that broke the seal holding it together. Particles were sent flying and dissolving everywhere, and Kotetsu did not stop forcing Travis to fall until the two crashed into the water.

  
Barnaby sat, or at least tried to, watching the whole fight. He was conscious enough to know that Kotetsu had come to rescue him, but any other detail was beyond him. He continued to sit with his back against the pillar he had been thrown against before Kotetsu took away Travis.

  
Under the water, Travis tried his best to punch and kick Kotetsu to free himself. He managed to get loose and brought the brunette down over his knee. Kotetsu let out a shout, letting go of some of his oxygen, though he did not feel deprived at all. He continually fought off the NEXT's attacks and grabbed his neck once more. He held Travis there until he turned blue and desperately swam for air.

  
Out of the water, Kotetsu exploded with Travis under his arm. The man had fought his best, but Kotetsu, with his new power, was no match for him. It was all over once the dome had been destroyed, and now Kotetsu landed triumphantly on the top of the ring, looking down at the now arrested criminal with disgust.

  
"I may be old, and I may be the worst hero ever, but there is nothing that stands in my way of my friend. There is nothing that is too difficult for me to handle."

  
Police officers came to the scene soon and took Travis away to prison, leaving Kotetsu alone on the top of the ring.

  
"Make sure he is locked up good," Kotetsu had said to the officers. He watched from a distance how his friend was cared for by the rest of the heroes, including the three second league heroes who were left. Over five minutes had passed since Travis had been arrested, and still Kotetsu's power stayed. If anything, it was stronger than ever, just like the bond between Kotetsu and Barnaby.

  
Barnaby was desperately searching for Kotetsu as his friends moved him over to an ambulance, ready to take him to the hospital. He even cried out his friend's name several times, each time sounding like he was lost without Kotetsu. It broke Kotetsu's heart, but he knew it was not yet time to reveal himself. Barnaby would have to calm down greatly before he was ready to see Kotetsu again.

  
But what a great moment it would be when the two would be reunited again! Kotetsu was looking forward to that moment. He turned away from the ring and began walking to the motorcycle Barnaby had snatched to arrive at the scene.

 

Barnaby stirred from his sleep abruptly with a moan. He opened his eyes and looked around, though he could not see a thing without his glasses. He recognized some shapes, telling him he was in a hospital room. Outside of that, he did not know much else.

  
"Well, look at who's finally awake, Kotetsu!"

  
Barnaby blinked at Sky High's voice and was startled by his sudden outburst of laughter.

  
"Hey, go easy, Keith. The poor guy is still in shock."

  
Kotetsu's face came into Barnaby's vision like a light in the darkness. The familiar face felt wonderful to see again.

  
"Kotetsu..." He said quietly.

  
"Hey, Bunny," Kotetsu said with a smile. He cupped Barnaby's face and chuckled. Clearly, there were tears in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He was doing a pretty horrible job at preventing them from falling.

  
"Kotetsu... You... You're okay."

  
The brunette nodded. "Yep. I'm fine. But I'm just glad you're alive. I thought I was going to lose you for a while."

  
Yep, Kotetsu was crying now, and so was Barnaby. The two embraced each other tightly. They were desperate of physical contact between them to make sure they were not dreaming. Their touch seemed real enough to them, and they laughed together for a while.

  
Barnaby pulled back with wide eyes after a while. "Wait, Kotetsu... What happened to your power?"

  
Kotetsu smiled and stood back, then began glowing blue. "I've got a new power now, thanks to you."

  
"A new power? What is it?"

  
"Well, it's one that no other NEXT has, and no other NEXT will ever have it. It's special to what happened today."

  
"Get on with it. What do you call it, and what does it do?"

  
"It increases my strength, speed, and agility by nearly 1,000. I gained it because you were exposed to such a great amount of energy. That caused my own power to short out, which was explains why I kept falling into a haze with my eyesight. Once you called my name, the power awakened by the energy transfer, and I became pretty much unstoppable!"

  
"So it's like the hundred power? Does the time limit last longer?"

  
Kotetsu laughed. "Oh boy, does it last longer! It's an unlimited power! I can have spikes in the power for five minutes at a time, which causes me to glow orange at that point. Also, my eyes turn white!"

  
Barnaby stared at Kotetsu dumbfounded. "You lucky old man. You better not abuse this power. And again, what do you call it?"

  
"I kept it simple, but I wanted it similar to what I had before." Kotetsu smiled and grabbed Barnaby's hand, intertwining their fingers. "So, it's the thousand power."

 

"You really are bad at names."

  
Kotetsu looked up from the chair he sat in beside Barnaby's bed. "Eh?"

  
"I mean you're not very creative when it comes to naming things."

  
"Excuse me?! I was the one who came up with the name for our motorcycles!"

  
"The Double Chaser? Like, wow. You could have bone better."

 

"Alright, wise guy, you think of a better name for them and let me know so I can say how dumb it sounds."

  
Barnaby rolled his eyes and sat up in his hospital bed. "Whatever, Old Man. Or, what is it?" He rubbed his chin in thought. "In Japanese..." He snapped as it popped into his head. "Oji-san!"

  
Kotetsu narrowed his eyes and pulled his hat tighter on to his head. He smirked. "Oh yeah? Well how about it start calling you Bunny-chan?"

  
"Eww, no." Barnaby's face scrunched up at the name.

  
"Ah, just Bunny then?"

  
"Please."

  
Kotetsu laughed and took a deep swig of the Mountain Dew he had brought on his daily visit to Barnaby. He set the can back down and got up to look out the window. Morning was just breaking over the city skyline. Sunlight bounced off panels of glass from the different buildings, and some was reflected into the small hospital room.

  
"Why did you come so early anyways?"

  
Kotetsu turned around with a slight blush. "Ah well... I wanted to see the sunrise...?" He laughed nervously while rubbing his neck.

  
Barnaby raised an eyebrow. "You could have done that at home."

  
"If I would have watched it at home, I wouldn't have been able to watch it with you, now would I have?"

  
The blonde closed his eyes and chuckled, covering his mouth as he did so. It was super cute to Kotetsu. "I suppose you're right." Slowly, Barnaby moved the sheets off his body and swung his legs off the side of the bed. Kotetsu came over to him and helped him stand.

  
"How's your stomach feel?"

  
Barnaby clutched at the gown he wore and looked towards the window. "It's fine... I... Just want to see the sun..."

  
The two made their way to the window slowly. Kotetsu picked Barnaby up and set him on the window sill. They looked out over the waking city. Most of the heroes were up early helping to clean up the mess left in the center of Stern Bild. Kotetsu and Barnaby could catch glimpses of them every once in a while as the sun continued to rise. There was still another hero missing from action, and that was Sky High. He had left the hospital, but he was given time off to relax and fully recover before returning to duty. It was for the best, since his broken leg needed plenty of healing.

  
Barnaby closed his eyes as the sun hit his glasses. He sighed and let the warmth be absorbed into his body. His mind wandered back to that vision of the hill, with Kotetsu leaned up against him and the sound of a stream in the background. The feeling that came over him made him smile, and to his surprise, also made him cry. It was not a sad cry, because what was there to be sad about? It was crying out of happiness, not a full out sob, but enough to produce a steady stream.

  
"Barnaby?"

  
The blonde opened his eyes again and looked at Kotetsu.

  
"You okay, Barnaby?"

  
Barnaby nodded and wiped his eyes some. "I'm just so happy..." He said quietly.

  
Kotetsu smiled and kissed away the tears rolling down Barnaby's face. He wrapped his arms around his partner's waist and sighed. "I'm happy too."

  
Kotetsu began to glow as he hugged Barnaby tighter. The two looked out the window, their heads slowly drifting towards each other until they leaned against the other. After a few minutes Kotetsu placed a small kiss on Barnaby's cheek.

  
"Watashi wa, anata o ashiteimasu, Bunny-chan."

  
Barnaby did not know much Japanese, but given the circumstances, he was pretty sure he knew exactly what Kotetsu had just said.

  
"I hope you always do, Oji-san."

  
They both smiled and leaned close to each other. Under the light of the rising sun, the two embraced tightly and shared a tender kiss, sitting on their own little hill by the water, absorbing the warmth of the sun.

 

"Nice tattoo, by the way, Bunny..."

 

 

T&B The Thousand Power End


	8. Epilogue: "Keith, get back on the ground!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyyyy you thought it was over didn't you?!
> 
> Enjoy!

Epilogue: "Keith, get back on the ground!"

"Sky High, I swear if you do not lay back down I will not let you bring John over!"

  
Anju had done her best to try and take care of the blonde hero as he recovered from his broken leg. It was hard though. Keith just did not want to be stuck on the ground, or laying in bed doing nothing while the city was being rebuilt. He wanted to get out there and join in on the action, but he did not have the healing capabilities that Kotetsu had. He had to wait for his wounds to heal normally.

  
"Okay, I'm going," Keith said a bit downtrodden, floating down to the ground and grabbing his crutches. Once he was back on the ground he headed to the spare bedroom to lay down.

  
Barnaby and Kotetsu had returned from the hospital about a week before, but Barnaby was still instructed to refrain from hero work for another few weeks. At least Kotetsu had somehow managed to convince those at Apollon Media to let him refrain as well until Barnaby could fight again.

  
Barnaby was laying on the couch, listening and watching the whole event that took place above him. He chuckled as Keith moped all the way back to his room.

  
"Maybe I can get Anju to make some cookies for you, Sky."

  
Keith's face lit up immediately. "Oh, yes, Barnaby! Thanks! And thanks again!"

  
With that, Keith lifted off the ground and floated to his room.

  
"I won't make him any if he continues to float around."

  
Barnaby laughed again. "He hates being on the ground, you know."

  
"I do know, but he's not going to get better if he flings his leg around like that."

  
The blonde sat up and looked at Anju. "Well, you'd better make him something so he stays in bed."

  
Keith had been well enough to take care of himself for sure, but living alone with only a dog was not going to make sure he treated his body good while he healed. That was why he was temporarily living at Barnaby and Kotetsu's house. That way, if something happened, he would at least have someone to take care of the situation.

  
Speaking of Kotetsu, Barnaby wondered when he was going to get back from Kaede's school. She had taken him to the career day they were having at the school, and Barnaby was sure he would be surrounded by plenty of fans. He really had become quite popular since the news of his new power had come out. It made Barnaby happy to see his partner rising on the popularity charts once more.

  
Barnaby looked down at his left hand, admiring the metal on his ring finger. Sighing with a smile, he swung his legs over the edge of the couch. He grimaced and held his torso, still sore from the beating he took before Kotetsu had saved him. He gathered enough strength to haul himself up off the couch, and kept a firm grip on the fabric to steady himself as he stood.

  
"Do I have to tell you to stay put too, Barnaby?" Anju gave him a glare that told him she was about fed up with the healing heroes.

  
"No, no. I was just-"

  
The front door opened in the middle of Barnaby's sentence, but he kept going.

  
"-going to the bathroom."

  
"Need help with that?" Kotetsu set down his things by the door and went over to the blonde with a smile.

  
Barnaby smiled back and leaned against Kotetsu as they hugged. "Well, if you're offering, I guess I could use a little help."

  
The brunette picked Barnaby up and princess carried him to the bathroom. Anju just rolled her eyes and went back to baking Keith's cookies.

  
Keith caught sight of Kotetsu as the two passed by the door, and he smiled. "Hello, Kotetsu!"

  
"Hey, Sky. Sit tight and I'll be in there in a bit."

  
Keith sat up and chuckled, happy that he had someone to talk to who was not confined to a couch or bed.

  
Kotetsu came back with Barnaby in his arms, setting the younger blonde down on the bed gently. He crawled up beside him and laid flat on his stomach.

  
"So how's your leg, Sky," Kotetsu questioned.

  
"It's never been better! I feel like I could do anything now!"

  
"Well, you're not going to get to do whatever you want for another good month."

  
"I know," Keith said a bit sadly.

  
"Hey, cheer up," Barnaby said. "It's not like you're stuck in bed for the rest of your life. You'll have plenty of time to fly around once you're healed."

  
Kotetsu nodded in agreement. "But for now, just relax. You get to enjoy my mom's cooking for crying out loud!" He laughed and rested his head on Barnaby's knee.  
Keith smiled. "Your mom sure does have amazing cookies."

  
"They're too good if you ask me," Barnaby commented. "Eat too many and you end up like Kotetsu did." The blonde poked Kotetsu's side.

  
Kotetsu spazed and tried to get away from Barnaby. "Dude that tickled!"

  
"Oh?" Barnaby quirked an eyebrow and leaned closer to the brunette, then shot his hands out and tickled Kotetsu more.

  
"Ahh! No no no stop!" Kotetsu laughed and laughed as he was tickled. He rolled and jumped, all the while trying not to hurt Keith. He rolled to the edge of the bed and stood on his knees, attempting to block Barnaby's hands as they continued to tickle him. The brunette leaned back a bit too much when Barnaby lunged at him, and he fell off the bed with a shout.

  
"Kotetsu!" Barnaby leaned over the edge of the bed and looked down at his partner. They blinked at each other, then laughed some more. The blonde reached his hand down to Kotetsu and pulled him up to a sitting position.

  
Keith smiled at the two as the leaned closer and kissed. So far, Sky High was the only hero, the only other person to know of Kotetsu and Barnaby's intimate relationship. He figured that maybe in the future, their relationship would be known to the whole world. For now, having only one other know was enough publicity.

  
Anju came into the room some time later with a plate of fresh cookies and some wine glasses. "There's milk and rose wine in the kitchen. I'll bring them both up so you can choose what you want."

  
Barnaby's eyes lit up when the name of his favorite alcoholic drink was mentioned. He was the one to take the bottle when Anju came back, and he opened it skillfully, pouring himself a glass. Kotetsu moved his glass over to Barnaby, and the blonde filled it with the wine. Keith was one to pair his cookies with milk, not wine, although Anju had grabbed the milk for Barnaby.

  
The three sat on the bed eating cookies and drinking out of their glasses. They chated some, and they watched a bit of Hero TV. Soon, Kotetsu was yawning away and closing his eyes for several seconds at a time. Keith was passed out, and Barnaby was still wide awake, the wine having made him a bit hyper. He looked at both heroes every once in a while, still giving his attention to the TV. His mind felt a bit fuzzy, whether it was from the wine or the incredible amount of sugar he had taken in. He did not know, and he did not care. All he cared about was the fact that Kotetsu was rubbing the inside of his thigh a bit too gently.

  
It was not like Barnaby hated the touch, it was just making the effects of the wine kick in a bit too much. He really did not want to have an event in the middle of the day. With that in mind, the blonde pushed away from Kotetsu and stood slowly after getting off the bed. He wobbled a bit.

  
Kotetsu opened his eyes and gave Barnaby a pout. "What was I doing wrong?"

  
"N-nothing. I just needed to get up. My stomach feels a bit weird."

  
"You didn't have too much wine did you?"

  
"Enough to make me a bit tipsy." To further prove that, Barnaby swayed a bit and grabbed the foot of the bed to steady himself.

  
Kotetsu sighed and got off the bed. He turned the TV off and hauled Barnaby on to his back. "Let's get you to bed."

  
The blonde made an unintelligible noise as Kotetsu picked him up. His head lolled forward on to Kotetsu's shoulder and he closed his eyes. When they got to the bedroom, Kotetsu sat Barnaby on the edge of the bed.

  
"I'm going to put away the drinks and glasses. I'll be back in a few minutes. Just lay down and rest, okay Bunny?"

  
The blonde mumbled again, his face now covered with blankets. He collapsed on to the bed and curled up in to a tight ball.

  
Kotetsu smiled and went back to Keith's room to clean up.

 

"Keith, get back on the ground!"

  
Anju really was having a hard time keeping the hero on the ground when he was in a somewhat poor mood. Really, all he wanted was to get back to flying around and protecting the city like he used to. It bummed him out that he could not help out in any way while his leg was still broken.

  
The cast was heavy, making it difficult to float about properly without bumping into anything. Keith really did try his best to keep from floating, but after being limited to staying in a bed for so long, his power was a bit uncontrolled at times.

  
"But I need to use my powers! Otherwise my body will become unaccustomed to them, and it will be difficult for me to perform properly as a hero."

  
Kotetsu looked up at Keith. "Come on, Sky. We can't have you floating around the house with that cast. You'll break something."

  
"I've been extra careful! Really I have."

  
"I don't doubt you. But really you need to come down."

  
Keith sighed and forced himself to float to the ground. The brunette moved to beside him because his crutches were back in his room.

  
"We can move you to the living room if you'd like," Kotetsu said as he helped Keith back to his room. "Have a change of scenery or something."

  
"It would be nice..." Keith grabbed his crutches and went back to the living room, Kotetsu following with a sigh.

  
"You shouldn't move around so much," Kotetsu said in an annoyed fashion.

  
Keith planted himself on the couch with a relieved sigh. "I'm fine."

  
The brunette went over to a recliner and sat in it, propping his feet up and turning on the TV to watch Hero TV once again. It was becoming quite routine.

  
Barnaby came in an hour later, rubbing his eyes as he had just woken up from a nap. He strolled over to Kotetsu and sat on his lap a bit roughly. Kotetsu grunted at the impact and chuckled.

  
"Geeze, Bunny. Warn me next time, okay?"

  
The blonde groaned and yawned again.

  
Keith laughed and leaned forward a bit. "You two are just the strangest couple ever."

  
"Thanks, I think," Kotetsu responded with a chuckle.

  
Kaede got home from school a few hours later. She hung her jacket by the door and went upstairs to drop her bag off, then she came back downstairs to grab a snack and to hang out with the heroes.

  
"It's cool that we have three heroes living in our house now," she commented. "We should invite everyone over for a party sometime."

  
"That's a great idea, sweetie," Kotetsu responded. "However, we need to wait a while before we plan that. I'm sure your grandma would love to have a break from heroes."

  
Anju made an approving noise from the kitchen as she made supper for that night.

  
After supper, Kaede retired to her room to work on homework and Anju went to bed early, stating that the three grown men could take care of themselves for a few hours before they went to sleep. Kotetsu ended up being the one in charge since he was the only one not injured.

  
Nothing much was done besides watching TV. Kotetsu had one glass of wine and fixed Barnaby his nightly glass of milk. Keith was not interested in drinking anything, and he preferred to float above the couch slightly for the sake of his sanity. He was glad Kotetsu did not mind letting him hang in the air. It felt good to use his powers without being yelled at to rest.

  
Barnaby was leaning back against Kotetsu, his eyes closed and mouth slightly open. Kotetsu had his arms wrapped around the blonde's waist. It was mainly to make sure Barnaby would not roll off and hit the floor. Kotetsu really did not want to deal with a grumpy bunny like that.

  
Kotetsu was, of course, reclining back in his chair. He watched the TV with some interest, but he was more focused on the man in his arms, who moaned slightly and shifted around to his side. Kotetsu thought that had to be uncomfortable, but then he noticed the frown the blonde wore, the way his eyebrows furrowed together making it obvious he was having a bad dream. Kotetsu only held his partner tighter and kissed the top of his head. Barnaby seemed to relax after that, and he continued to sleep peacefully.

  
Soon, Keith was asleep, drifting slowly down to the couch where he laid down across the cushions. Kotetsu shut off the TV and readjusted himself in the chair, careful not to wake Barnaby. He soon fell asleep as well.

 

Sometime close to one in the morning, all three heroes' call bracelets went off. Kotetsu woke suddenly from the noise, but the other two stayed fast asleep. The brunette pressed on his bracelet and answered the call.

  
"What's up, Agnes?"

  
"Tiger, we need your assistance in the center of town. Get there now."

  
The screen that had popped up went away, leaving Kotetsu in the dark, wondering what exactly he should do. In the end, he slowly got up, carrying Barnaby as he did, and set the blonde in the chair gently. He went to the kitchen to splash some water on his face and headed to the front door.

  
Kotetsu paused before going out, looking over his sleeping friends.

  
Well, at least one was sleeping.

  
Barnaby had his eyes open, and he was looking right at Kotetsu. The brunette noticed this and sighed.

  
"Sorry, Bunny. I tried to wait it out."

  
"Being a hero doesn't mean you will always get your full time off. Some things just can't be helped."

  
Kotetsu walked over to his blonde and hugged him for a good minute. Then he kissed Barnaby and smiled.

  
"I'll try to be back by morning. Sleep some more."

  
The brunette stood up and walked out the door. He hopped on to a small motorcycle and headed to the center of Stern Bild. As he arrived onto the scene, he thought about his promise he made to Tomoe to always be a hero. He was smiling as he changed into his suit in the Apollon Media van, and he continued to smile when he jumped out on his big motorcycle.

  
He may have broken a lot of promises in the past, but with this new power came a new promise. As long as he lived, Wild Tiger was always going to be there for Barnaby, always ready to let out a wild roar.


End file.
